The U.S. Department of State (DOS) adjusted the reciprocity schedule for Australia for certain nonimmigrant visa categories , effective December 23, 2019. This change is a result of Executive Order 13780 ("Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States"), signed by President Trump in March 2017, that required the DOS to undertake a worldwide review of nonimmigrant visa reciprocity agreements to ensure that US nationals receive "reciprocal treatment in terms of validities and fees as that afforded to host country nationals, as required by US law."
Below are some of the most notable increases in reciprocity fees for Australian nationals:
For E-1/E-2 nonimmigrant visa applicants, the reciprocity fee was changed from $105 USD to $3,574 USD . For H-1B nonimmigrant applicants, the reciprocity fee was changed from $105 USD to $1,295 USD. For L-1 applicants (including blanket and individual petitions), the DOS increased the fee from $105 USD to $1,790 USD. The fee for L-2 dependent applicants also increased to $1,790 USD. There are no increases for E-3 visas for Australian nationals working in specialty occupations.
These are dramatic increases in reciprocity fees for Australians and the DOS has noted that they are still reviewing visa schedules for other countries so we can expect more changes in the reciprocity schedules for other countries, as well.
Disclaimer: This Alert has been prepared and published for informational purposes only and is not offered, nor should be construed, as legal advice. For more information, please see the firm's full disclaimer.
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