Posted on 07/19/2025 8:56:35 AM PDT by Macho MAGA Man
Tourists, international students and business travelers may be required to pay a $250 fee when visiting the United States on a non-immigrant visa.
The new provision applies solely to visitors from countries that require a non-immigrant visa for entry, as outlined in the “big, beautiful” spending bill signed by President Trump, according to the Envoy Global law firm.
No formal start date has been announced to begin the collection of the “visa integrity fee.”
Starting in 2026, the $250 price could increase to accommodate inflation, per the law firm.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will be tasked with determining the final amount required for entry purposes.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
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“Visitors can be reimbursed for the fee if they abide by the terms of their visa per the legislation and those who are denied entry will not be charged.”
See? Trump can be reasonable.
But it will kill tourism. Overstay your visa? That’s jail time. Come across our border illegally, meh. Here’s some free stuff, like one of those goodie bags given out.
Visitors can be reimbursed for the fee if they abide by the terms of their visa per the legislation and those who are denied entry will not be charged.
......
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also raised the form price from $6 to $24. Some say the new measure will roil travel plans amid major events set to be hosted in the U.S., including the 2028 Summer Olympics.
It’s nice of The Hill to give Trump credit for this provision but, technically, Congress deserves some as well . They could’ve removed it but they didn’t.
In Economics term, entering the US has low price elasticity. Increase the fee will not reduce the number of people who apply to enter the US.
and illegals could be charged the fee plus interest and penalties for the entire time they were here :)
Yeah it sounds more like a deposit than a fee.
Visitors can be reimbursed for the fee if they abide by the terms of their visa per the legislation and those who are denied entry will not be charged.
Sounds reasonable.
Fair enough.
“”But it will kill tourism. Overstay your visa? That’s jail time. Come across our border illegally, meh. Here’s some free stuff, like one of those goodie bags given out.””
Will it? Most folks that can afford to be an international “tourist” won’t balk at a mere $250 fee... as long as it is easy to get their money back when they leave. It’s like a mini-security deposit. It will only disuade those that are coming here for other reasons, I suspect. Those that aren’t planning to leave, IOW.
There should also be higher fees to enter out national parks. The Indians have no trouble soaking foreigners who want to see the Taj Mahal.
If i understand this correctly this does NOT apply to countries in the visa waiver program. Countries in the visa waiver program are Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
Yeah we’re giving them $1K to leave now as it is
Many IT workers come to the US as tourists. Then they apply for H1b or other work visa. While on the tourist visa they work in their IT job while their Hlb is “in process”.
How many? What percentage? I don’t know. But from those I have worked with it is accepted as normal....no big deal.
Exactly.
Wonderful idea.
visa integrity fee
a very clear name......................
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/new-us-visa-integrity-fee-everything-to-know
When officials begin collecting the fees (the start date of which remains in question), the money will go to the US Treasury Department’s general fund.
interesting. not left with a department for potential abuse.
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