In a follow-up to its proposed rule in December 2009, the Department of State issued a press release earlier this week noting that it has published an interim final rule in the Federal Register to increase nonimmigrant visa application processing fees. The press release notes that the interim final rule also establishes a “tiered structure with separate fees for different nonimmigrant visa categories”:

Under the new schedule of fees, applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange visitor (F, M and J) visas, will pay a fee of $140.

The new fees are scheduled to go into effect on June 4, 2010.