Image: IANS

The visa fees for the US, for H-1B (foreign workers in special occupation), L-1 (non-immigrant intra-company transferee), and EB-5 (immigrant investors). The new prices will be in effect from Apr 1, 2024.

This is the first time the US has hiked visa fees since 2016.

The new H-1B visa fee used to be $460 (~₹38,181) has now almost doubled to $780 (~₹64,742). The registration fee for the visa has been increased from $10 (~₹830) to $215 (~₹17,846). However, the hike in the registration fee would be applicable from next year.

The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US firms to hire foreign employees on technical grounds. Every year, thousands of Indian and Chinese workers are hired by US firms on H-1B visas.

The EB-5 visa registration fee has been increased from $3,675 (~₹3.05 lakh) to $11,160 (~₹9.26 lakh).

Since 1990, EB-5 visas have been given to high-net-worth foreign nationals investing at least $10,50,000 (~₹8.71 crore) or $8,00,000 (~₹6.64 crore) in a  targeted employment area (TEA).

Similarly, the fee for an L-1 visa has been increased from $460 (~₹38,170) to $1,385 (~₹1.15 lakh), which is three times the current fees.

L-1 visa falls under the non-immigrant category which can be transferred from company to company. This allows multinational companies to transfer their employees from one country to another.

This amendment is prescribed by the United Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and will be considered valid till 2033. 

The hike is likely to generate $15 crore in revenue for the US.

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