US to introduce $250 'visa integrity fee' for nonimmigrant visitors: Here's what you need to know
Fee to apply to tourists, students, and business travelers under new immigration measure
Visitors to the United States will soon be required to pay a new $250 "visa integrity fee," as mandated by a provision in President Donald Trump's recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The fee applies to all individuals seeking nonimmigrant visas, including tourists, business travelers, and international students, and it cannot be waived.
According to the provision, the fee will be effective during the US fiscal year 2025, which runs from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.
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The Secretary of Homeland Security retains the authority to increase the amount, and the fee will be adjusted for inflation. It is to be paid only if a visa is issued, meaning applicants whose visas are denied will not be charged.
Details about the new requirement are scant, which has resulted in "significant challenges and unanswered questions regarding implementation," reports CNBC, quoting a spokesperson from the US Travel Association.
One major concern is the lack of clarity around how travelers will actually pay the fee.
Steven A Brown, a partner at Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said that the fee has not yet been implemented and its official start date remains unknown.
"I believe it would need a regulation, or at least a notice in the Federal Register, regarding implementation of collection," said Brown.
However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson defended the policy, saying, "President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill provides the necessary policies and resources to restore integrity in our nation's immigration system."
