From the New York Times: Millions of foreign visitors to the United States, including travelers from Mexico, India, Brazil and China, will be subject to a new $250 visa fee as part of a spate of changes introduced by the Trump administration’s recently enacted domestic policy bill.
The fee, which may be refundable, will apply to nonimmigrant visa categories, including foreign tourists, business travelers and students. It will not apply to most visitors from Canada or to visitors covered by the United States’ visa-waiver program, which includes much of Europe and a handful of countries in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere.
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The charge, called a “visa integrity fee,” will apply to any foreign national who requires a nonimmigrant visa to enter the United States. That includes business visitors, vacationers, temporary workers, students and medical tourists, among other categories. The $250 fee will be levied in addition to the $185 cost of the nonimmigrant visa itself.
Some 11 million visitors were issued nonimmigrant visas in 2024, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of State.
Most visitors from Canada will not be affected by the additional fees. Also, visitors from countries that participate in the visa-waiver program, which includes most of Europe, as well as Australia, Chile, Israel, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and the United Kingdom, will be exempt, the report explains.
Affected countries with the most international visitors coming to the U.S. will include Mexico, China and Brazil.
The additional $250 fee, on top of the current $185 chare, will bring the total to about $445 for many people wanting to visit the U.S.
I had to pay 250 euros when I registered my visa in France last year. So this is not some horrible President Trump move. https://t.co/lUbulqK0Pd
— Crysti Frazier (@frazier_crysti) August 31, 2025
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