US increases visa fee for Pakistani applicants: Here is the revised fee for each visa category

ISLAMABAD - The US authorities have announced the fee hike for Pakistani visa seekers against different categories.

In an official tweet on Wednesday, the US embassy in Islamabad stated that the new fee for different categories of visas would be increased from June 17th this year.

The U.S. embassy has announced that the fees for visitor visas and other non-petition-based nonimmigrant visas (NIVs) will be raised from $160 to $185. Similarly, the application fees for petition-based visas, including H, L, O, P, Q, and R categories, will increase from $190 to $205.

Moreover, applicants for E visas can expect a substantial fee adjustment, with the current fee of $205 being raised to $315 from June 17th.

The authorities have elaborated that all nonimmigrant visa application fee (also known as the MRV fee) payments made on or after October 1, 2022, are valid for 365 days from the date a receipt is issued for payment of the MRV fee.

'Applicants must schedule an interview appointment or submit an interview waiver application during this 365-day period,' stated the embassy on its website and advised the applicants to only schedule their interview or submit their waiver application within the 365-day period.

The embassy has clarified that there is no requirement that the interview must occur during the 365-day period.

'All receipts for payment of MRV fees issued before October 1, 2022, were extended until September 30, 2023, and remain valid until this date,' it stated.

The US Department of State announced raising the fee for visas in March after deliberation. When it was confirmed that the fee would be revised, the State Department explained that Activity-Based Costing (ABC) methodology is utilized to calculate annually, the cost of providing consular services, including visa services, and the fees for most non-petition based NIVs was last updated in 2012, and certain other NIV fees were last changed in 2014.

The Department explained that the proposed fees were calculated on a 10-year average of past and projected usage, but said the travel environment could change drastically as seen during the pandemic. 

In the Final Rule, the Department of State said it received a total of 328 comments, 94 of which were duplicates and focused on issues like the impact on international education and that the hike might drive students away from the country.