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US to Impose $250 Visa Integrity Fee on Tourists, Students, H-1B Workers. How Does It Impact Indians?

UNITED STATES, JUL 9 – The $250 fee applies to most non-immigrant visas and will adjust annually with inflation to encourage compliance with US immigration laws, starting in 2026.

  • On July 4, 2025, US President Donald Trump enacted new legislation that imposes a $250 Visa Integrity Fee on most categories of non-immigrant visas.
  • The Act was part of a broader effort to reduce visa overstays and ensure compliance by imposing this mandatory surcharge, exempting only diplomatic visas A and G.
  • The fee applies to B-1/B-2, F, M, H-1B, J categories, and other temporary visas, collected by DHS at issuance, in addition to existing fees and accompanied by new $24 I-94, $13 ESTA, and $30 EVUS surcharges.
  • The total cost for a US B-1/B-2 visa for Indian travelers will rise from $185 to about $472, nearly 2.5 times current fees, with the Visa Integrity Fee adjusted annually for inflation based on the Consumer Price Index.
  • Visa applicants who fully comply with terms, such as timely departure or legal status change, may request a refund, but noncompliance results in forfeiture of the fee, signaling tighter immigration enforcement with possible impacts on prospective travelers.
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The US has made another change in its immigration policy by imposing a visa integrity fee of $250 under President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act

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India Today broke the news in India on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
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