The United States will require international visitors to pay a new “visa integrity fee” of at least $250, added to existing visa costs, according to a provision in the Trump administration’s recently enacted domestic policy bill.
The fee will apply to all visitors who are required to obtain nonimmigrant visas to enter the United States. This includes many leisure and business travelers, international students and other temporary visitors. In fiscal year 2024, the US issued nearly 11 million nonimmigrant visas, according to State Department figures.
Tourists and business travelers from countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program, including Australia and many European countries, aren’t required to obtain visas for stays of 90 days or less. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) fees associated with the program are expected to increase to at least $40, according to the bill, nearly double the current amount.
Payment of the new “integrity fee” for nonimmigrant visas will be required at the time visas are issued, and there will be no fee waivers. Travelers who comply with their visa conditions can have their fees reimbursed after the trip is over, according to the provision.
Immigration attorney Steven A. Brown, a partner at Houston-based Reddy Neumann Brown PC, characterized the fee as a “refundable security deposit,” in a recent post about the new policy. The mechanism for obtaining a refund is still unclear, Brown pointed out.
“In terms of the purpose of the fee, it’s hard to say,” Brown said in an email to CNN. “Generally, immigration fees are to cover the expense of adjudication or issuance,” but he noted that the reimbursement provision could mean refunding all of the fees gained. “In a perfect world, there would be no overstays or visa violations.”
The Department of Homeland Security, the agency instituting the new fee, has not yet offered specifics about the refund process or any other aspects of the policy’s rollout.
“The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
A State Department spokesperson said the fee was established “to support the administration’s priorities of strengthening immigration enforcement, deterring visa overstays, and funding border security.”
Fees that aren’t reimbursed will be “deposited into the general fund of the Treasury,” the provision in the bill says.
The initial fee, for fiscal year 2025, is outlined as the greater of either $250 or “such amount as the Secretary of Homeland Security may establish, by rule.”
Brown suggested that the rule is likely to be implemented through a rulemaking process involving its publication in the Federal Register.
The fee is subject to annual adjustments for inflation.
The State Department spokesperson said details related to the change, implemented by DHS, will be posted on the State Department’s visa information page.
The U.S. Travel Association, a national nonprofit organization aimed at increasing travel to and within the United States, praised other parts of the domestic policy bill that would invest in modernizing customs and air traffic control, but called the new visa fee “a giant leap backwards.”
“This fee, which will be at least $250 and comes on top of existing visa fees, adds an unnecessary financial barrier for international visitors,” said Erik Hansen, senior vice president of government relations for the association, in a statement.
According to U.S. Travel’s calculation, the fee would boost the “upfront costs” of visiting the US by 144%. “Even if it is technically reimbursable, the added complexity and cost will discourage visitors,” Hansen said.
Hansen pointed out that many visas are valid for 10 years.
“So while the fee is a temporary charge aimed at ensuring compliance, the visa term can often be long enough where it won’t feel temporary and raises challenges with implementing a refund,” he said.
