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https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/18/visa-integrity-fee-what-to-know-about-new- travel-fee-to-enter-the-us-.html

Visitors to the United States will need to pay a “visa integrity fee,” according to a provision of the Trump administration’s recently enacted
One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The fee applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas to enter, and cannot be waived.

However travelers may also be able to get the fees reimbursed, according
to the provision.

Details about the new requirement are scant, which has resulted in
“significant challenges and unanswered questions regarding
implementation,” a spokesperson from the U.S. Travel Association told CNBC Travel.

However, here is what is known thus far.

How much is the fee?

The fee will be at least $250 during the U.S. fiscal year 2025, which runs
from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025. However, the secretary of Homeland Security is free to set the fee higher, according to the provision.

Thereafter, the visa integrity fee will be adjusted for inflation.

Who must pay the new fee?

The “visa integrity fee” applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant
visas, which includes tourists, business travelers and international
students. Some visitors, including those from Australia, Japan and many
nations in Europe, may not need visas to enter under the Visa Waiver
Program.

When is the fee paid?

The fee is paid when the visa is issued, according to the provision. Thus, visitors whose visa requests are denied will not be charged.

Does the fee replace other visa fees?

No, the provision states that the new fee is “in addition to” other fees, including regular visa fees.

“For example, an H-1B worker already paying a $205 application fee may now expect to pay a total of $455 once this fee is in place,” Steven A. Brown,
a partner at the Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown
PC, wrote in a post on his firm’s website.

Additionally, the fee must be paid on top of a “Form I-94 fee,” which the
One Big Beautiful Bill Act increased from $6 to $24. That fee must be paid
by anyone who is required to submit a Form I-94 arrival and departure
record, which applies to most travelers.

How can travelers get reimbursed?

To get their money back, visa holders must comply with the conditions of
the visa, which includes “not accept[ing] unauthorized employment,” and
not overstay the visa validity date by more than five days, according to
the provision.

Reimbursements will be made after the travel visa expires, it says.

What isn’t known
The fee has not yet been implemented, according to Brown.

It is not clear when it will begin.

“I believe it would need a regulation, or at least a notice in the Federal Register, regarding implementation on collection,” said Brown.

It is also unclear how travelers will pay the fee, the U.S. Travel
Association told CNBC.

“The bill directs the DHS Secretary to charge the fee, but DHS does not
own the visa application, issuance or renewal process — so where and when
would DHS collect the fee?” the spokesperson said.

In response to CNBC’s enquires, a Department of Homeland Security
spokesperson said: “The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency
coordination before implementation.”

More questions surround how and when the reimbursement process kicks in.

Since many visas are valid for several years, the U.S. Congressional
Budget Office said it expects “a small number of people would seek reimbursement.”

Moreover, “CBO expects that the Department of State would need several
years to implement a process for providing reimbursements. On that basis,
CBO estimates that enacting the provision would increase revenues and
decrease the deficit by $28.9 billion over the 2025-2034 period.”

Brown said he is advising clients to treat the fee as nonrefundable.

“If you get it back, great. But it is usually difficult to get money back
from the government,” he said. “I would rather them view it as a ‘bonus’
if they get the refund.”

The purpose of the fee
“President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill provides the necessary policies
and resources to restore integrity in our nation’s immigration system,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNBC.

Data shows most visa holders comply with their visa terms. For the fiscal
years between 2016 and 2022, between 1%-2% of nonimmigrant visitors
overstayed their visas in the United States, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.

However, an estimated 42% of the approximately 11 million unauthorized population living in the United States entered the country legally, but overstayed their period of admission, the data shows.

Effect on incoming travelers
Brown said the visa integrity fee will likely impact B visa holders — or leisure and business travelers — and international students more than
other types of travelers.

“For B visa holders, they may not want to add an additional $250 per
person to their trip costs,” he said.

The new fee, plus the I-94 fee, come as the United States prepares to host several major events in 2026, including the “America 250” celebration, in
honor of the country’s 250th anniversary, and parts of the FIFA World Cup.

These hurdles are compounded by problems at Brand USA, the destination marketing organization that promotes inbound travel into the United
States, which saw the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slash its funding from
$100 million to $20 million.

The cuts came after the U.S. Commerce Department fired nearly half of
Brand USA’s board members in April.

In a statement, Fred Dixon, the organization’s president and CEO, said it
is “disappointed” with the cuts yet hopeful that the funds will be
restored for the fiscal year 2026.

“We remain focused on growing legitimate international inbound travel and
the vital boost it provides to the U.S. economy,” he said.

Ahead of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, U.S. Travel
Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman praised the bill’s
contributions to U.S. infrastructure, air traffic control and border
security.

But, he added: “The smart investments in the travel process make foolish
new fees on foreign visitors and reductions to Brand USA, America’s
promotion arm, that much harder to swallow.”

— CNBC’s Kaela Ling contributed to this report.


--
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump. We look
forward to America being great again.

We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.

Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.

Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.

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