Vietnam, Nigeria, Ghana, Greece And Ethiopia Stand Together As Subjects To New Charges With Increasing Us Visa Reciprocity Fee

Published on September 11, 2025

By: Paramita Sarkar

The U.S. Department of State precocious implemented important changes to its visa reciprocity fees, affecting aggregate countries. The updated visa charges now use to nationals from Vietnam, Nigeria, Ghana, Greece, and Ethiopia. These changes, effective from May 30, 2023, are portion of nan U.S. government’s ongoing efforts to guarantee visa fees are reciprocal. This intends nan United States now charges fees for visa applications that reflector nan fees imposed by these countries connected U.S. citizens.

These changes person sparked concerns among travelers from these countries, particularly those who were already successful nan process of applying for U.S. visas. The interest summation has been implemented crossed aggregate non-immigrant visa categories, and travelers request to beryllium alert of really these caller charges will impact their visa applications. In this article, we research nan caller charges, nan reasons down these changes, and nan effect connected travelers from nan affected nations.

New Visa Reciprocity Fee Changes

The caller U.S. visa interest hikes are portion of an yearly reappraisal conducted by nan U.S. Department of State. This reappraisal examines nan visa fees charged by different countries to U.S. nationals and adjusts U.S. visa fees to align pinch those charges. Essentially, nan U.S. implements these changes to support fairness and guarantee that U.S. citizens are not paying disproportionately higher fees compared to nationals of different countries.

Starting May 30, 2023, nationals from Vietnam, Nigeria, Ghana, Greece, and Ethiopia will spot their visa reciprocity fees increased. The summation applies chiefly to non-immigrant visas, which see tourist, work, and student visas. These visa categories are important for individuals who wish to recreation to nan U.S. for impermanent stays, whether for business, education, tourism, aliases different purposes.

The interest summation varies by visa type and nationality. However, each affected applicants must salary an further reciprocity interest successful summation to nan modular nonimmigrant visa exertion fee. For example, applicants from these countries whitethorn person to salary anyplace from $50 to $150 much depending connected their visa class and nan circumstantial changes for their country.

Vietnam: Increased Fees for Non-Immigrant Visa Applicants

• Who is affected: Vietnamese nationals applying for B-1/B-2 tourer visas, H-1B activity visas, F-1 student visas, and different non-immigrant visas.
• New charges: Vietnam has seen an summation successful reciprocity fees for U.S. visa applicants. While nan specifics alteration by visa type, travelers from Vietnam will now request to salary higher fees than before.
• Why nan change: These increases are portion of an alignment pinch nan visa fees charged to U.S. nationals visiting Vietnam.
• When it applies: The interest summation took effect connected May 30, 2023, and will use to each caller visa applications submitted from that day onward.

Nigeria: Significant Fee Hike for U.S. Visa Applicants

• Who is affected: Nigerian nationals applying for B-1/B-2 visas, activity visas, and student visas.
• New charges: Nigerians will acquisition important increases successful U.S. visa reciprocity fees crossed aggregate non-immigrant visa categories.
• Why nan change: These interest hikes are successful consequence to nan fees that Nigeria charges U.S. citizens, and nan U.S. is aligning its visa fees accordingly.
• When it applies: The updated fees came into effect connected May 30, 2023. All caller applicants will request to salary these accrued fees moving forward.

Ghana: Higher Visa Fees for U.S. Visitors

• Who is affected: Ghanaians seeking to recreation to nan U.S. for business, tourism, aliases study.
• New charges: The reciprocity interest increases for Ghanaian nationals applying for U.S. visas will alteration depending connected nan visa category. However, nan wide costs of obtaining a U.S. visa has risen for each non-immigrant applicants.
• Why nan change: The U.S. has accrued these fees to lucifer nan charges imposed by Ghana connected U.S. travelers.
• When it applies: The changes are effective from May 30, 2023. Any caller visa applications submitted aft this day will beryllium taxable to nan updated fees.

Greece: New Reciprocity Fees for U.S. Visa Applicants

• Who is affected: Greek nationals applying for U.S. tourist, student, work, aliases business visas.
• New charges: Greece is besides impacted by nan U.S. visa reciprocity interest hikes, meaning Greek travelers will now look higher visa costs erstwhile applying for various non-immigrant visa categories.
• Why nan change: The U.S. has revised its fees to bespeak what Greece charges U.S. citizens visiting nan country.
• When it applies: The updated fees for Greek nationals came into effect connected May 30, 2023. All early visa applicants must now relationship for nan accrued charges.

Ethiopia: Increased U.S. Visa Fees for Travelers

• Who is affected: Ethiopian nationals readying to sojourn nan U.S. for business, tourism, aliases study purposes.
• New charges: Ethiopian applicants will acquisition higher visa reciprocity fees, including increases for communal visa categories for illustration B-1/B-2 tourer and business visas, arsenic good arsenic activity and student visas.
• Why nan change: These increases are portion of nan U.S. argumentation to set fees based connected reciprocity pinch different nations, ensuring that U.S. visa fees align pinch those charged by Ethiopia connected U.S. citizens.
• When it applies: The caller reciprocity fees use to visa applications submitted aft May 30, 2023.

How Will These Fee Increases Impact Travelers?

The caller U.S. visa reciprocity fees are expected to importantly effect nationals from Vietnam, Nigeria, Ghana, Greece, and Ethiopia, particularly those who regularly use for visas. The accrued fees could impact individuals’ recreation plans, peculiarly for those who were not prepared for nan higher costs.

• Business travelers from these countries whitethorn find that nan further fees make it much difficult to warrant nan costs of travel, particularly for short-term stays.
• Students seeking to prosecute acquisition successful nan U.S. could besides consciousness nan financial strain of these accrued fees, peculiarly those from lower-income backgrounds.
• Tourists who had planned trips to nan U.S. whitethorn reconsider their recreation arrangements owed to nan higher visa charges, starring to imaginable reductions successful tourism.

What Can Travelers Do?

Travelers from these affected countries should return respective steps to guarantee they are afloat prepared for nan caller visa reciprocity fees:

1. Check nan updated fees: Ensure that you are alert of nan latest U.S. visa reciprocity fees by visiting nan charismatic U.S. Department of State’s Visa Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country page.
2. Budget for nan increase: Plan your visa exertion expenses accordingly. Include nan caller fees successful your wide recreation fund to debar unexpected financial strain.
3. Seek proposal if needed: For those who whitethorn find nan interest increases challenging, consulting pinch migration lawyers aliases experts tin thief explain nan process and place imaginable alternatives.
4. Stay informed: Keep an oculus connected immoderate further changes aliases updates regarding U.S. visa reciprocity fees and beryllium judge to enactment accordingly.

A important displacement successful nan visa exertion process

The summation successful U.S. visa reciprocity fees for Vietnam, Nigeria, Ghana, Greece, and Ethiopia marks a important displacement successful nan visa exertion process. These changes, effective from May 30, 2023, align U.S. visa fees pinch those charged by these countries, ensuring fairness and consistency successful nan world visa system.

For travelers from these countries, it is basal to enactment informed astir nan updated fees and scheme their visa applications accordingly. With these interest increases, travelers will request to set their budgets and guarantee they person nan basal costs to screen nan further charges erstwhile applying for U.S. visas.

As nan U.S. visa scenery continues to evolve, staying up-to-date connected nan latest interest structures and visa policies will beryllium important for anyone