Many travellers to the United States must pay a visa fee of at least US$250 under a new law, as international visitor numbers struggle to recover from a slump this year.
Visitors entering on tourism, business, student, or work visas are required to pay a ‘visa integrity fee’, under the U.S.’ new tax and spending policies. Travellers eligible for a visa waiver are exempt, including citizens of Australia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union who do not need a student or work visa.
The visa fee provision is part of the U.S. spending bill passed this month, formerly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “In addition to any other fee authorised by law, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall require the payment of a fee, equal to the amount specified in this subsection, by any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa at the time of such issuance,” the legislation says.
This fee will be a minimum of US$250 until the U.S. fiscal year ends on 30 September, with the Department of Homeland Security being able to set a higher amount.
The U.S. government has yet to confirm when this fee will enter into effect, or how visitors can pay. Its implementation will first be coordinated between government agencies, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.
Travellers can be reimbursed after their visa expires, the bill says, if they comply with the conditions of their visa. This includes only engaging in authorised employment, and leaving the U.S. within five days of the visa’s expiry date.
“Under current law, many nonimmigrant visas are valid for several years; therefore, a large number of nonimmigrants would not be eligible to seek reimbursement until several years after paying the fee,” wrote the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in its cost estimate for the policy."
"Thus, CBO expects that a small number of people would seek reimbursement.”
The legislation also increases the price of the I-94 document used for visitors adjusting their visa status while in the U.S. or extending their time in the country from US$6 to $24.
The number of international visitors to the U.S. has declined significantly in 2025, with the World Travel & Tourism Council saying the U.S. economy could lose US$12.5 billion in international spending across the year. The U.S. also issued a travel ban restricting citizens of 19 nations from entering the country in June.
Travel has begun to recover in recent months, however, with a large spike in visitors from Mexico.
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