|
On February 2, 2005, the Department of State promulgated
its final rule revising the Schedule of Fees for
Consular Services. The rule will be effective March 8,
2005. The most significant change in the rule is the
fraud prevention and detection fee of $500 for H-1B and
L visa applicants. This new fee was also announced on
our website's news item of December 9, 2004 -
H-1B & L-1B amendments signed into law: New Fees
now in effect.
Based on this rule, the following
fees have been added:
-
A fraud prevention and detection fee of
$500 for H-1B and L visa applicants;
-
A passport surcharge of $12 to enhance the
security of passport documents; and
-
An immigrant visa surcharge of $45 to
enhance the security of immigrant visas.
In addition, the following fees
have changed:
-
The fee to search Department of State
files to verify an applicant's U.S. citizenship (from
$45 to $60);
-
The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery surcharge
for a diversity immigrant visa application (from $100 to
$375);
-
The Affidavit of Support Review fee (from
$65 to $70);
-
The fee for determining returning resident
status (from $360 to $400);
- The fee for a transportation letter issued
to a Legal Permanent Resident Alien (LPRA) who needs a
transportation letter to reenter the U.S. (from $300 to
$165);
- The fee for waiver of the two-year return
residency requirement (from $230 to $215);
- The fees for processing Letters Rogatory
and Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) judicial
assistance cases (from $650 to $735); and
- The fee for consular time (from $235 to
$265).
|
