Travel to America to get costlier as US introduces new visa fees

Traveling to the United States will now be substantially more expensive, as the country has introduced two new visa fees, which could be enforced soon. In addition to the visa processing fee for U.S. visas, nonimmigrants will soon be required to pay two additional fees: the Visa Integrity Fee and the fee for Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. In addition to the processing fee, there are other charges as well, depending on the type of visa.

A citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Based on the category, a processing fee must be paid to obtain the visa.

Going forward, there will be two more fees applicable for immigrants – the Visa Integrity Fee and the fee for Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record.

Both the Visa Integrity Fee and the fee for Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record will have to be paid along with the visa processing fee, thus adding up to the total cost.

In his ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump mandated a ‘Visa Integrity Fee’ for those seeking non-immigrant visas.

The cost of the Visa Integrity Fee has been kept at $250, to be increased each year based on US CPI data.

The One Big Beautiful Bill has also imposed a new fee of at least $24 for foreigners who apply for a Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. All visitors require a Form I-94, with the exception of U.S. citizens, returning resident foreigners, non-U.S. citizens with immigrant visas, Green Card holders and the majority of Canadian nationals visiting or in transit.

The total cost of the US visa fee will see an increase of almost 148% for the non-petition-based visa, such as B1/B2 visas for Business, Tourism, Medical treatment, Visitor Visas, and also for F-1, F2, and other student visas, including transit visas. Currently, $185 is the cost of a non-petition-based nonimmigrant visa fee.

The total cost of US visa fee will see an increase of almost 133% for the petition-based visa, such as H-1B visa or other Temporary Worker visas, Intracompany Transferees visa, or O-visa for Persons with Extraordinary Ability. Currently, $205.00 is the cost of a petition-based visa fee.

In addition, there are certain other fees to be paid by each category depending on different situations.

The good thing about the Visa Integrity Fee is that the amount gets reimbursed provided the non-immigrant complies with the conditions of the visa. The Visa Integrity Fee is to be paid compulsorily, but will be reimbursed to applicants who completely comply with the restrictions of their visa.

Reimbursement will be available to those who refrain from unauthorized employment, depart the country within five days of the date on which the foreigner was granted permission to stay in the country, or obtain a valid extension or change of status.