WASHINGTON — Sticker shock is coming to many international travelers planning trips to the United States. Tucked deep inside the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a new “visa integrity fee” will add another $250 to the cost of most non-immigrant visas beginning with the 2025 federal fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, 2024. According to reporting by NewsNation, the surcharge is in addition to all current application and issuance charges and applies to tourists, business travelers, exchange visitors, and international students—essentially anyone who must obtain a non-immigrant visa before entering the country.
Who pays—and who doesn’t
The law carves out a single broad exemption: citizens of nations that participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) in Washington. That list currently includes 40 territories, among them Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Chile, and most members of the European Union. Travelers from these destinations will continue to use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and will not be required to make the new payment. Everyone else—even if the trip lasts only a day—will confront the extra $250 at the moment the visa is issued. The fee joins, rather than replaces, the existing Schedule of Fees for Consular Services charges. Canadian and Bermudian visitors remain a partial exception because most of them do not need non-immigrant visas in the first place. Mexican citizens can still opt for the Border Crossing Card, which functions as a limited-scope visa in many circumstances.
Why the sudden surcharge?
Lawmakers framed the integrity fee as a policing tool rather than a revenue generator. Funds will be routed to cover future expenses tied to monitoring, enforcement, and deportation of visa overstays. The statute specifically authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to raise the amount in any year “to ensure adequate funding,” after which an annual inflation adjustment kicks in automatically.
Runaway price tags add up fast
- Visa integrity fee: $250 • Standard tourist (B-1/B-2) issuance fee: $185
- Machine-readable passport surcharge (where applicable): $20
- New Form I-94 filing fee: $24, up from $6. A solo traveler from São Paulo applying for a first-time B-2 visa could therefore shell out as much as $479 in basic charges before setting foot on a plane.
Pay now, get paid back—maybe
In a twist, the act instructs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reimburse the integrity fee once a traveler’s visa validity has expired, but only under tight conditions. To qualify for a refund, visitors must leave the country no later than five days past the authorized date and must not have taken any job that was “unauthorized” under immigration rules. Any confirmed violation voids the refund. DHS has until late 2024 to publish formal instructions on how international guests can claim their money.
Impact on different traveler segments
Leisure tourists
Holidaymakers from non-VWP countries—think Brazil, India, South Africa or mainland China—already navigate lengthier wait times for consular interviews. The extra $250 will likely prompt some to shorten itineraries or favor multi-country trips that spread overall costs. U.S. cities that rely heavily on long-haul leisure traffic, such as Orlando, Honolulu and New York, could see incremental headwinds while the marketplace digests the change.
Business travelers
Corporate mobility teams will need to recalculate budgets for recurring B-1 or L-1 visits. Because the surcharge is refundable only after the visa expires, companies that front the outlay must decide whether to pursue reimbursement in three or four years or simply write it off as an overhead expense.
International students
Universities are already battling perceptions that American studies are cost-prohibitive. The integrity fee increases the upfront cost of an F-1 or J-1 visa to nearly $600, when accounting for the separate SEVIS I-901 payment of $350. Admissions officers may need to sharpen scholarship offers or payment-plan options, especially in price-sensitive regions such as Southeast Asia and West Africa.
Changes to Form I-94 fees
Buried in the same bill is a tidy quadrupling of the Form I-94 arrival/departure record fee—from $6 to $24. Nearly every sea, air, or land visitor who is not traveling under the VWP must file this form, so most of the same travelers hit by the integrity surcharge will pay both. The higher I-94 fee took effect the moment the budget measure became law; unlike the new $250 levy, there is no delayed start date.
Tips for travelers
- Lock in interview slots now. Embassy backlogs in Lagos, Bogotá, and Manila already stretch beyond 150 days in some categories. The longer the lead time, the more likely you are to secure a slot before any additional administrative tweaks.
- Budget for the worst-case scenario. Pay attention to every ancillary fee—courier services, biometrics appointments, reciprocity charges—when tallying the overall cost.
- Track your exit date. If a $250 rebate matters to your wallet, set digital reminders and leave the United States no later than five days after your I-94 expiration.
- Hold onto receipts. DHS will almost certainly request proof of payment when it launches the reimbursement portal.
- Check VWP status annually. Washington occasionally admits new countries or pauses existing participants; a switch could remove the surcharge altogether.
Frequently asked questions
Does the $250 replace the existing visa issuance fee?
No. The integrity fee is in addition to the current schedule of consular fees.
Is the fee refundable if my visa application is denied?
You only pay once the visa is approved, so denied applicants will not incur any charges.
Can the fee be paid online?
Payment methods will mirror the current system used for non-immigrant visa issuance. Additional details are expected in forthcoming guidance from the State Department.
How long will refunds take?
The law does not specify a processing timetable. Expect delays given DHS workload and verification procedures.
I am a dual citizen of a VWP country and a non-VWP country. Which passport should I use?
Entering the VWP with a passport waives the fee but limits stays to 90 days without extensions. Balance cost against flexibility.
Bottom line
For travelers who require a non-immigrant visa to enter the United States, the journey has just become pricier. The new $250 visa integrity fee is slated to take effect across all U.S. consulates during fiscal 2025, adding to a recently increased Form I-94 charge and a range of existing fees. While Washington dangles the promise of a post-visit refund, compliance requirements are strict, and the repayment timetable remains unclear. If the United States is on your 2025 itinerary, include the surcharge in your travel budget now and keep your paperwork organized to increase the chances of getting that money back later.
