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 provisions in the Trump administration’s recently enacted domestic policy bill.
This fee applies to all visitors who need to obtain a non-immigrant visa to enter the United States. This includes many leisure and business travelers, international students and other temporary visitors. According to State Department figures, in 2024, the United States issued approximately 11 million non-immigrant visas.
Tourists and business travelers from countries that are part of the visa waiver program, including Australia and many European countries. It is not required to obtain a visa for stays of less than 90 days. Travel Approval (ESTA) electronic systems associated with the program are expected to increase to at least $40 when they reach nearly twice the current amount.
Payment of the new “integrity fee” for non-immigrant visas is required upon the time the visa is issued and there is no exemption from the fee. According to the regulations, travelers who comply with the visa conditions can refund their fees after the trip is over.
Immigration attorney Steven A. Brown, a partner at Houston-based Reddy Neumann Brown PC, characterized the fee as a “refundable deposit” in a recent post about the new policy. The mechanism for obtaining a refund is still unknown, Brown noted.
“It’s difficult to say about the purpose of the fee,” Brown said in an email to CNN. “In general, immigration costs cover the costs of an award or issuance,” he said that the refund provision could mean a refund of all fees obtained. “In a perfect world, there are no stock or visa violations.”
The Department of Homeland Security, the agency that enacts new fees, has yet to provide details on the refund process or other aspects of policy deployment.
“Visa integrity fees require interagency coordination prior to implementation,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to CNN.
A State Department spokesperson said the fees were set up to “support immigration enforcement, to help with prioritization of visa extensions and funding for border security.”
Any fees that have not been refunded will “be deposited in the Ministry of Finance’s General Fund,” the bill’s provisions state.
The initial fee for fiscal year 2025 is outlined to be either $250 or “an amount that the Secretary of Homeland Security may establish by the regulations.”
Brown suggested that the rules are likely to be implemented through a rulemaking process, including publication in the federal register.
Fees are subject to annual adjustments for inflation.
A State Department spokesperson said details relating to the changes implemented by the DHS will be posted on the State Department’s visa information page.
The American Travel Association, a national nonprofit organization aimed at increasing travel to the United States, praised other parts of the domestic policy bill investing in modernising customs and air traffic control, calling the new visa fees “a retreat of a huge leap.”
“The fee is at least $250, and in addition to existing visa fees, it adds unnecessary financial barriers to international visitors,” Eric Hansen, senior vice president of government relations at the association, said in a statement.
According to US travel calculations, the fees will increase the “prepaid costs” of visiting the US by 144%. “Even if it’s technically refundable, the added complexity and costs will discourage visitors,” Hansen said.
Hansen pointed out that many visas are valid for 10 years.
“Therefore, the fees are temporary fees aimed at ensuring compliance, but the duration of the visa is often not felt as temporary and long enough to cause challenges by implementing a refund,” he said.
