Prices of International Student Visas Set to Double
Beginning October 1, 2008, student-visa fees will practically double in price, making it more costly for
international students to study in the United States, according to an article in The Chronicle of Higher
Education (“Student-Visa Fees to Support Federal Surveillance
Program Could Double,” April 22, 2008).
The increased fees will affect international students applying for student, exchange-visitor, or other similar
nonimmigrant visas (in categories known as F, J, or M visas). Those applying for F-1 student visas would have to pay
$200, while those submitting applications for a J-1 exchange-visitor visa would need to pay $180, both up from
$100.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is pushing for the increase to pay
for upgrades to its Student and Exchange Visitor
Information System, or Sevis and to pay for more program enforcement agents. The program was created in the wake
of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and monitors the activity of all foreign students’ and exchange
visitors’ activities.
Homeland Security officials argue that the increased fees won’t deter international students from studying in the
United States since the fees represent “less than one-half of one percent of the average tuition costs for a
four-year college education.”
However, college administrators argue that the increases could further add to the perception that international
students are unwelcome in this country, Victor Johnson, senior public policy advisor for the National Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators, told The Chronicle.
"The problem is, if those students want to study in any other country in the world, they don't have to pay that
fee," Johnson said.
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