In a move likely to affect millions of visitors every year, the United States will charge non-immigrant visa applicants an additional mandatory $250 Visa Integrity Fee, effective from January 1, 2026.
The new fee will affect people who intend to obtain visas for travel the United States as tourists, students and workers. The visa integrity fee will apply to non-immigrant visa categories including B1/B2 for visitors, F and M for students, J for Exchange Visitors and H1-B for workers.
The companies and educational institutions that sponsor workers and students will also be affected by the higher expense.
Besides, the U.S. will host the FIFA World Cup next year after three decades. While more than 3.5 million soccer fans travelled to the U.S. to watch the contests in 1994, next year the number is likely to be around 6.5 million with a projected generation of $17.2 billion in American GDP.
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This policy change is part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” signed by former President Donald Trump into on July 4, 2025.
The law enacts changes to immigration and introduces new fees that will finance enforcement measures and encourage people to follow visa rules.
The fee is not fixed and may increase adjusted against inflation in the years to come.
Visa seekers in developing countries with disadvantaged currencies are likely to feel the additional cost more than others. For example, in South Asia, $250 will mean Rs 71,155 for Pakistanis and Rs 21,536 for Indian visa applicants.
While thousands of Pakistani students travel to the United States for higher studies, India sends second-largest number of international students to the U.S. every year, totaling more than 200,000 students annually.
Visa Integrity Fee is one of the several new charges introduced under the Big Beautiful Bill. These include $24 for I-94 Arrival/Departure Record to be required for most non-immigrant visitors, $30 for Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) Fee that will apply to some Chinese nationals with 10-year B-1/B-2 visas, $100 initial as Asylum Application Fee with $100 renewal, $500 as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Fee, $550 as TPS Employment Authorization Document (EAD) fees, and $275 as TPS applicants EAD Renewal/Extension fee.
The U.S. remains one of the top travel destinations for international tourists.
While the exact impact of the fees cannot be predicted right now, the additional fees will add to the overall cost for travel and frequent travelers might be tempted to turn to countries that offer less expensive visa options and costs.
