US has introduced a new visa fee for the issuance of all non-immigrant visas. Called the Integrity Visa Fee, it will apply to the issuance of any non-immigrant visa, including F-1 and F-2 visas, J-1 and J-2 visas, H-1B and H-4 visas, tourist B-1/B-2, etc.
The visa integrity fee is mandatory and cannot be waived or reduced; however, it will be reimbursed to applicants who fully comply with their visa terms.
Vsa Integrity Fee
For fiscal year 2025, the Visa Integrity Fee was supposed to be at least $250 or an amount determined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with automatic annual inflation adjustments commencing in fiscal year 2026.
The new fiscal year began on October 1, 2025, and will end on September 30, 2026.
H-1B, F-1 and tourist visa holders will have to pay an additional fee while applying for the non-immigrant visas. President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduced a mandatory ‘Visa Integrity Fee’ for non-immigrant visa applicants.
Visa Integrity Fee Reimbursement
The visa integrity fee is compulsory and cannot be waived or reduced, but it will be reimbursed to the applicant who fully complies with the terms of their visa.
Nonimmigrants who fully comply with the terms of their visa, including not engaging in unauthorized employment, and who either leave the United States not later than 5 days after the date on which the foreigner was authorized to remain in the United States or receive a legitimate extension or adjustment of status, will be eligible for reimbursement.
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The visa integrity fee will be paid in addition to the “machine-readable visa” (MRV) visa application fee and any reciprocity fees that nonimmigrant visa applicants must already pay.
Travelers to the United States who are not required to obtain a visa (for example, Visa Waiver Program entrants and most Canadian citizens) would not have to pay the fee since a visa is not being issued.
In addition to the Visa Integrity Fee of $250 for all categories, a new surcharge for all visa types, supporting fraud detection and enforcement, will be introduced.
The One Big Beautiful Bill has also imposed a new fee of at least $24 on foreigners who apply for a Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record. A Form I-94 is needed by all visitors except for U.S. Citizens, returning resident foreigners, non-U.S. citizens with immigrant visas, and most Canadian citizens visiting or in transit.