COVID-19–Era Machine-Readable Visa Fee Receipts Will Expire on September 30, 2023, State Department Announces

All receipts for payment of Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fees issued prior to October 1, 2022, are set to expire on September 30, 2023, the U.S. Department of State recently announced.

Quick Hits

• Machine-Readable Visa fee payment receipts issued before October 1, 2022, will expire on September 30, 2023.
• The State Department is cautioning applicants who scheduled their interview appointments using MRV fees paid before October 1, 2022, to not reschedule their appointments after September 30, 2023, because doing so will result in the forfeiture of the MRV fee payment and the original appointment date.

Background

Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) fees are typically valid for 365 days from the date of payment. Visa applicants must schedule their visa appointments before the payment expires. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Department extended the validity of MRV fee payments made after March 20, 2020. These extensions expire on September 30, 2023.

Next Steps

Applicants who submitted their MRV fee payment between March 20, 2020, and October 1, 2022, must schedule an appointment or submit an interview waiver application before September 30, 2023, to avoid paying a new MRV fee. The validity of MRV fee payments will not be extended.

The interview appointment can occur after September 30, 2023, as long as it is scheduled before the deadline.

The State Department cautioned applicants who scheduled their interview appointments using MRV fees paid before October 1, 2022, to not attempt to reschedule their appointments after September 30, 2023. Making such changes will result in the forfeiture of both the MRV fee payment and the original appointment date.

Applicants who do not schedule their interview appointment or submit an interview waiver application before September 30, 2023, or who attempt to reschedule their appointment after September 30, 2023, will be required to submit a new application package and a new MRV fee payment.

Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group will continue to monitor developments with respect to these and other policy changes and will provide updates on the firm’s Immigration blog as additional information becomes available.

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