DOS Amends Schedule of Fees for Consular Services
On August 28, 2014 the Department of State published a Federal Register document changing the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services for the following:
- nonimmigrant visa application processing fees
- immigrant visa application processing and special visa services fees
- citizenship services fees
The document contained the wrong effective date (September 6th, 2014), so on September 3, 2014, the Department published a document correcting the original August 28 amendment. The new fees were effective September 12, 2014. Comments must be received by October 26, 2014, not October 21, 2014 as the original document stated.
The Department adjusted fees because of a recent Cost of Service study, conducted from April 2012 through July 2013. The study provides the basis for updating the Schedule to make sure fees for consular services match the costs of providing such services.
One of the changes this rule makes is raising the application processing fees for renunciation of U.S. citizenship. The fee for processing E visa applications, for treaty traders and treaty investors, was decreased from $270 to $205. The fee for processing K visa applications, for fiancé and certain spouses of U.S. citizens, was increased from $240 to $265.
Ivener & Fullmer, LLP is a business immigration law firm serving human resource professionals, business owners, in-house attorneys, international business people, foreign investors, and entertainers. If you have any questions, please contact an Ivener & Fullmer, LLP partner in our Los Angeles office.
