The United States has announced a mandatory $250 visa integrity fee for non-immigrant travellers, with no room for waivers.
The new fee is contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by the Donald
Trump administration.
The bill also permits the secretary of homeland security to
set the fee higher.
Travellers may get a reimbursement if they comply with all
the conditions of their visas.
These include not accepting unauthorised employment, not
seeking to extend their validated stay, and departing the US not later than
five days after the last day of such period.
Visitors who are granted the status of a lawful permanent
resident are also qualified for a refund. However, there are no details about
the procedures for such a claim.
According to the provision, the fee is paid when the visa is
issued. This means potential non-immigrants whose visa requests are denied will
not be charged.
Tourists, business travellers, and international students
who frequent the US are likely to be the hardest hit by the new policy.
INCREASE IN PRICE FOR FORM I-94
The Form I-94 is the official record of a foreign national’s
admission to the US.
It is typically issued by the Customs and Border Protection
(CBP).
While most travellers arriving by air or sea receive this
record electronically, others—especially those entering by land—are issued
paper I-94s.
Land travellers are currently mandated to
pay a $6 fee.
But with the new law, a $24 fee will be required for each
issuance of Form I-94.
It is not clear which category of travellers will be
affected.
ESTA, ASYLUM APPLICATION, IMMIGRATION COURT FILING FEES
HIKED
The Big Beautiful Bill Act also introduced other
notable immigration-related fees.
In addition to the visa integrity fee and the Form I-94
increase, charge hikes were also introduced for travellers who use the
electronic system for travel authorisation (ESTA).
The law mandates that ESTA include “not less than $13 per
travel authorization”, allowing for annual inflation-based adjustments.
This change applies to travellers from visa waiver programme
countries—mostly European and Asian countries.
Other increases include:
Temporary protected status (TPS) fees.
- $500
TPS application fee.
- $550
for initial EAD, $275 for renewals.
Asylum application and employment authorisation document
(EAD) fees.
- $100
annually for pending asylum applications.
- $550
for initial EAD, $275 for renewals.
Humanitarian parole fees.
- $1,000
parole application fee.
- $550
for initial parole-based EAD, $275 for renewals.
Immigration court fling fees.
- $1,500
for adjustment of status.
- $600
for cancellation of removal.
- $900
for most appeals and motions.
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