US Fee Change

From the US State Department:
"Fees for Consular Services to Change on September 12, 2014"

Effective September 12, 2014, the Department of State will adjust processing fees for some services. (Please note that the document printed in the Federal Register today listed an incorrect effective date that the new fees will go into effect. Based on the effective date of 15 days after publication, the correct date is September 12, 2014. Consular Affairs is in the process of issuing a Correction Notice in the Federal Register.) The fees for most categories of immigrant visas will change, while fees for nonimmigrant visas largely remain the same. The fee for processing an application for Renunciation of U.S. Citizenship is increasing to reflect the true cost of providing this service. The Department seeks to recover, as far as possible, the cost of providing consular services through the collection of consular fees. The Department regularly reviews these costs and adjusts fees as necessary to reflect the cost of service. Although most categories of nonimmigrant visa processing fees will remain the same, the fee for E visas (treaty-traders and treaty-investors) will decrease and the fee for K visas (for fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens) will increase. The fee charged for Border Crossing Cards for Mexican citizen minor applicants under the age of 15 will increase by $1. For immigrant visa processing, the fee for family-sponsored immigrant visas will increase, as will the fee for domestic review of an Affidavit of Support. All other immigrant and special visa processing fees that are changing will decrease. Documenting a U.S. citizen's renunciation of citizenship is extremely costly, requiring U.S. consular officers overseas to spend substantial amounts of time to accept, process, and adjudicate cases. The fee for processing renunciation of citizenship, which had previously been subsidized, is now reflective of the true cost.

Nonimmigrant Visa Processing Fees

Type of Visa	Previous Fee	New Fee
Treaty Investor and Trader visas (E)	$270	$205
Fiancé(e) visas (K)	$240	$265
Border Crossing Card (under age 15)	$15	$16

Immigrant Visa Processing Fees

Type of Visa	Previous Fee	New Fee
Immediate Relative and Family Preference Applications	$230	$325
Employment-Based Applications	$405	$345
Other Immigrant Visa Applications	$220	$205
Determining Returning Resident Status	$275	$180
Waiver of Two-Year Residency Requirement	$215	$120
Affidavit of Support Review (only when reviewed domestically)	$88	$120

Citizens’ and Administrative Services

Type of Service	Previous Fee	New Fee
Renunciation of Citizenship	$450	$2,350
Charge for Consular Time (for fee services performed outside of normal business hours or away from the office)	$231	$135

The proposed fees were published in the Federal Register today, and will take effect in 15 days. To view the interim final rule, visit www.regulations.gov. Comments will be accepted until 60 days after publication. At that time, the Department will consider the public comments, and the published final rule will include the Department’s response to any comments received.

^ It seems pretty dumb for the US to go from charging $450 to renounce your US citizenship to $2,350. It's like the US Government wants to force people to stay Americans or else. Anyone who wants to give up their US citizenship should be allowed to for a symbolic fee of $1 and move on. The US doesn't need, nor should they want, to force people to stay citizens. ^




http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/231128.htm