Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 08/31/2025 3:32:58 PM PDT by Libloather
The Trump administration continues to take a harder stance on foreign visitors with a "visa integrity fee" to be implemented on Oct. 1.
The fee would charge non-immigrant travelers visiting the U.S. $250 due at the time visas are issued and was enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Countries such as Mexico, China, and Brazil will take on the most heat, with the cost for non-visa waiver countries now nearing $442, per the U.S. Travel Association.
The largest numbers of international visitors in May were from Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and Brazil, according to the International Inbound Travel Association.
Gabe Rizzi, global travel management company Altour president, told Reuters that "any friction we add to the traveler experience is going to cut travel volumes by some amount."
"As the summer ends, this will become a more pressing issue, and we'll have to factor the fees into travel budgets and documentation," Rizzi added.
Overseas visitors to the U.S. dropped 3.1% in July from the same time last year, according to Reuters.
The new fee comes as the U.S. prepares to host America250 events, the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup matches.
"International visitor spending to the U.S. is projected to fall to just under $169BN this year, down from $181BN in 2024," notes a World Travel & Tourism Council report.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
The fee would charge non-immigrant travelers visiting the U.S. $250 due at the time visas are issued and was enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Yes. The fee may be reimbursable under certain conditions, such as compliance with visa terms and timely departure from the U.S.
I’d like to see a refundable sponsorship visa, say $10K. I wanted to being my Thai GF to the US but she was denied visas multiple, even after we married. I’d gladly put $10K to have her visit the USA, refundable upon her US exit.
That is how I recall it. I am all for it.
If this is the same thing, not surprising how the refund is not mentioned. Funny that.
Wish it would work out for you both.
The European countries already have or are planning similar fees.
I highly recommend you find a good immigration attorney in your area. My wife is from China and I was able to get her permanent residency within a couple of years. I looked over the process very carefully and decided that I didn’t want to tackle that massive hurdle by myself. It cost about $&k but it was money well spent.
If you want to get some advice on our experience, Freep mail me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.