WASHINGTON—The United States will begin charging a new “visa integrity fee” when issuing visas to foreign nationals for admission to the country.
The refundable fee was created by a new budget bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4. It specifies that a minimum fee of $250 must be charged to all foreigners seeking a nonimmigrant visa to enter the United States. The Secretary of Homeland Security has the authority to increase the fee and it is adjustable for inflation.
The fee will not come into effect immediately. The government will have to initiate a rulemaking process to issue a regulation regarding the fee, which will entail a public comment period per the Administrative Procedure Act, a process that can take more than a year and is subject to legal challenges….