What to learn about latest travel fee to enter the US

Visitors to america might want to pay a “visa integrity fee,” in response to a provision of the Trump administration’s recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act.  

The fee applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas to enter, and can’t be waived.

Nevertheless travelers can also have the option to get the fees reimbursed, in response to the supply.

Details concerning the latest requirement are scant, which has resulted in “significant challenges and unanswered questions regarding implementation,” a spokesperson from the U.S. Travel Association told CNBC Travel.

Nevertheless, here’s what is thought to this point.

How much is the fee?

The fee will likely be a minimum of $250 throughout the U.S. fiscal 12 months 2025, which runs from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025. Nevertheless, the secretary of Homeland Security is free to set the fee higher, in response to the supply.

Thereafter, the visa integrity fee will likely be adjusted for inflation.

Who must pay the brand new fee?

The “visa integrity fee” applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas, which incorporates tourists, business travelers and international students.

When is the fee paid?

The fee is paid when the visa is issued, in response to the supply. Thus, visitors whose visa requests are denied is not going to be charged.

Does the fee replace other visa fees?

No, the supply states that the brand new fee is “along with” other fees, including regular visa fees.

“For instance, an H-1B employee already paying a $205 application fee may now expect to pay a complete of $455 once this fee is in place,” Steven A. Brown, a partner on the Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, wrote in a post on his firm’s website.

Moreover, the fee have to be paid on top of a “Form I-94 fee,” which the One Big Beautiful Bill Act increased from $6 to $24. That fee have to be paid by anyone who’s required to submit a Form I-94 arrival and departure record, which applies to most travelers.

How can travelers get reimbursed?

To get their a reimbursement, visa holders must comply with the conditions of the visa, which incorporates “not accept[ing] unauthorized employment,” and never overstay the visa validity date by greater than five days, in response to the supply.

Reimbursements will likely be made after the travel visa expires, it says.

Since many visas are valid for several years, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office said it expects “a small number of individuals would seek reimbursement.”

Furthermore, “CBO expects that the Department of State would wish several years to implement a process for providing reimbursements. On that basis, CBO estimates that enacting the supply would increase revenues and reduce the deficit by $28.9 billion over the 2025‑2034 period.”

Brown said he’s advising clients to treat the fee as nonrefundable.

“In the event you get it back, great. However it is often difficult to get money back from the federal government,” he said. “I’d moderately them view it as a ‘bonus’ in the event that they get the refund.”

Data shows most visa holders comply with their visa terms. For the fiscal years between 2016 and 2022, between 1%-2% of nonimmigrant visitors overstayed their visas in america, in response to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.

Nevertheless, an estimated 42% of the roughly 11 million unauthorized population living in america entered the country legally, but overstayed their period of admission, the information shows.

Brown said the visa integrity fee will likely impact B visa holders — or leisure and business travelers — and international students greater than other sorts of travelers.

“For B visa holders, they might not wish to add a further $250 per person to their trip costs,” he said.

The brand new fee, plus the I-94 fee, come as america prepares to host several major events in 2026, including the “America 250” celebration, in honor of the country’s 250th anniversary, and parts of the FIFA World Cup.

These hurdles are compounded by problems at Brand USA, the destination marketing organization that promotes inbound travel into america, which saw the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slash its funding from $100 million to $20 million.

The cuts got here after the U.S. Commerce Department fired nearly half of Brand USA’s board members in April.

In an announcement, Fred Dixon, the organization’s president and CEO, said it’s “disillusioned” with the cuts yet hopeful that the funds will likely be restored for the fiscal 12 months 2026.

“We remain focused on growing legitimate international inbound travel and the vital boost it provides to the U.S. economy,” he said.

Ahead of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman praised the bill’s contributions to U.S. infrastructure, air traffic control and border security.

But, he added: “The smart investments within the travel process make silly latest fees on foreign visitors and reductions to Brand USA, America’s promotion arm, that much harder to swallow.”

— CNBC’s Kaela Ling contributed to this report.

Update: This story has been updated to reflect Brand USA’s comments to the funding cuts to its organization.