A new rule from the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, introduced by the Trump administration, will require visitors to the United States who need nonimmigrant visas, including tourists, business travelers, and international students, to pay a “visa integrity fee.”

The fee:

• Cannot be waived.
• Will cost at least $250 in the U.S. fiscal year 2025 (Oct. 1, 2024–Sept 30, 2025).
• Could be set higher by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
• Will be adjusted annually for inflation.
• Is paid when the visa is issued, not when applying (denied applicants are not charged).
• Is in addition to existing visa costs (e.g., H-1B applicants will pay $455 total).
• Comes on top of an increased Form I-94 fee, now raised from $6 to $24.

Reimbursement Possibility:

There is a chance for reimbursement, but only if the visa holder:

• Follows all visa conditions.
• Does not accept unauthorized employment.
• Does not overstay more than five days past visa expiry.
  Reimbursement happens after the visa expires. However, it’s unclear how this process will work or when it will start. Experts warn it could take years to set up, and advise travelers to treat the fee as nonrefundable.

Implementation Questions

• The fee is not yet in effect.
• No official date has been set yet.
• Coordination between U.S. agencies like DHS and the State Department is still pending.
• The U.S. Travel Association says the lack of details causes “significant challenges”.

Purpose of the Fee According to the Department of Homeland Security, the fee aims to “restore integrity” to the immigration system. Although data shows only 1%-2% of non-immigrant visa holders who overstayed between 2016 – 2022, an estimated 42% of the 11 million undocumented people in the U.S. originally entered legally but overstayed.