On December 23, 2019, and without any prior notice, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) revised the reciprocity schedule for Australia for certain nonimmigrant visa categories. The changes include dramatically higher fees for E, F, H, L and R visa applicants. This is a result of President Trump’s Executive Order 13780 of March 2017, that required DOS to undertake a worldwide review of nonimmigrant visa reciprocity agreements and arrangements to ensure that U.S. nationals receive “reciprocal treatment in terms of validities and fees as that afforded to host country nationals, as required by U.S. law.” The reciprocity provisions in U.S. law require DOS to correct these imbalances worldwide to match fees and limits set by other countries.
Changes that went into effect on December 23, 2019
Visa Fee Increases (per person)
| Visa | From | To |
| E-1 | $105 | $3,574 |
| E-2 | $105 | $3,574 |
| F-1 | $105 | $305 |
| F-2 | $105 | $185 |
| H-1B | $105 | $1,295 |
| H-4 | $105 | $1,295 |
| L-1 | $105 | $1,790 |
| L-2 | $105 | $1,790 |
| R-1 | $45 | $105 |
| R-2 | $45 | $105 |
In addition to fee increases, DOS also reduced the validity of some nonimmigrant visas.
Visa Validity Decreases
| Visa | From | To |
| L-1 | 60 months | 48 months |
| L-2 | 60 months | 48 months |
| R-1 | 60 months | 24 months |
| R-2 | 60 months | 24 months |
E-3 visas are NOT affected
E-3 visas for Australian nationals working in specialty occupations are not affected by this revision.
Extension of validity for B-1, B-2, and B-1/B-2 visas
The only positive change resulting from the new reciprocity schedule is that it allows Australian nationals traveling to the United States for business, tourism, and as crew members to apply for a B-1, B-2 and B-1/B-2 visa valid for 60 months (instead of 12 months) for no additional fee. Since most Australians use ESTA (visa waiver program), this change has little impact on most applicants.
