US Visa Application Fees: How Much Does It Cost?

While applying for a US visa, there are precisely three places to pay the fee: application, SEVIS, and MRV, which will cost you around $830 to $880.

Below are the details on when, why, where, and how to make payments during the process.

Time For Documentation And Application Fees ($50 to $100)

Shortly after you have aced your requirement tests as per the university that you are applying to, you will need to work on your documentation. Begin to create your LOR, SOP, CV, and work experience sheet (if required). Also, collect your academic profiles altogether.

As soon as you are done collecting your documents, you have to pay the application fee ranging from $50 to $100. At UniPort, we ask you to pay application fees to three universities, which will cost you approximately $150. So, many of you might be wondering why you would do extra work with fees and applications, but trust us; it will keep your university options readily available. But if you choose otherwise, you can only apply to one university.

Exceptional Case: Enrolment Deposit Fee ($200 to $2000)

At certain times, a few universities often ask for an enrollment deposit fee after you get your acceptance letter. As we have said, it is a rare case, and it ranges between $200 to $2000. Sometimes, this fee can also vary as per the university. This particular deposit goes toward your tuition for the first year and is used to hold your spot in the university.

So, many of you might be curious here! If in case, you get your visa rejected, do you lose the enrolment deposit fee or not? To answer simply, No, in most cases, but it could also be non-refundable per specific university policies. Even when the enrolment deposit fee is refundable, there will be a specific deduction in your total amount as a form of commission.

To pay this amount, you will be given the details and proceed via credit card, or you can opt to pay from the bank. One of the specialized banks for this kind of fee is the NIMB (Nepal Investment Mega Bank).

MRV (Machine Readable Visa) Fee ($160)

Moving on, you will get on with the process of presenting your financial status. It can either be done through bank balance certificates or Statements or both and an Affidavit of Support (if sponsored). After you have shown yourself as financially stable, you will get your I-20 which calls to fill out your DS 160 form (aka Visa Application form). You can fill it out through the Online Non-Immigration Visa Application.

Then, you will need to create a profile at CGI Federal Portal. Now, this is where the MRV fee steps in. For those unaware, the MRV stands for Machine Readable Visa and is a fee used to initiate the visa application. This is a US-government-mandated fee that you will compulsorily pay whether or not a visa is issued. It will cost you $160. Similar to the enrolment deposit fee, you can pay this amount through NIMB / Connect IPS (electronically).

SEVIS Fee ($350)

Soon, you will book the interview date at CGI Federal Portal, and before you go for the interview, you will have to pay the SEVIS fee. This particular fee will cost you $350 and should be cleared three days before your interview date. But we recommend you pay the SEVIS fee ten days before the interview date. You can simply pay this fee through NIMB or a Dollar Credit Card.

Moreover, your SEVIS fee lasts for a year, and even when your visa is denied, you can reapply for a student visa. In simpler words, under the previously paid SEVIS fee, you can reapply at the same or a different university. If you did apply to a different university, you must change the SEVIS ID by visiting the I-901 website, and this process will take around two to three days.

Extra Cost During Your Visa Application Process

Besides your main fees, you will need to spend some extra amount to meet your university requirements. Here, language proficiency tests are a must everywhere you go to study in the US. As you start with this process, you can opt for any one of the choices from IELTS, PTE, Duolingo, and TOEFL. If you are confused about which language tests to go for, follow this link to learn more about them.

Moving on, you can also add SAT courses to the list. To be honest, no, SAT is not a must when you apply to the US. However, if you are looking to get some scholarships, the SAT scores will help you a lot, and that is the reason why we at UniPort always ask you to take the SAT courses parallelly.

Register with us to enroll for our SAT classes!