Some visitors to the United States will soon need to pay US$250 'visa integrity fee'

SINGAPORE: International visitors to the United States will be required to pay a “visa integrity fee” of at least US$250, CNN reported on Tuesday (Jul 22), citing a provision in President Donald Trump’s flagship tax and spending Bill that was passed earlier this month.

The US$250 fee will apply to all visitors who are required to obtain non-immigrant visas to enter the US. This includes business and leisure travellers, as well as international students. The fee will be in addition to existing visa and immigration fees.

Tourists and business travellers from countries or regions that are part of the US visa waiver program - such as Singapore, Australia, Japan and many European countries - are not required to obtain visas for stays of 90 days or less.

According to the legislative provision, visitors will be required to make payment at the same time their visas are issued. There will be no fee waivers, though visitors who comply with their visa provisions can have the fee reimbursed after their trip is over.

Any fees that are not reimbursed "shall be deposited into the general fund of the Treasury", a provision in the Bill says.

The initial fee for fiscal year 2025 is outlined at either US$250 or greater, determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security. The fee is also subject to annual adjustments for inflation.

"The intent behind this refund provision is to incentivise compliance with US immigration laws by treating the US$250 as a refundable security deposit - essentially rewarding those who follow the rules," wrote immigration lawyer Steven A Brown, a partner at Houston-based Reddy Neumann Brown PC, in a blog post on his firm’s website.

Trump on Jul 4 signed his "Big Beautiful Bill" into law, saying that the Bill’s passage would supercharge the US economy. However, it is also expected to add trillions of dollars to the US deficit.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has cracked down on immigration, banning citizens from several countries and making efforts to deny enrollment of foreign students.

While the visa integrity fee was approved after the Bill was passed, it has not been implemented yet.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency instituting the new fee, has not provided any specific details about the refund process or other aspects of the implementation of the fee.

“The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation,” CNN reported, citing a DHS spokesperson.

Brown warned that the fee reimbursement is not automatic, and that the burden will likely fall on visa holders to prove compliance and request the refund through a process that has not yet been announced.

“Until those procedures are announced, employers and foreign nationals should treat the US$250 visa integrity fee as a non-refundable upfront cost and plan accordingly,” Brown said.

“If a refund becomes viable in the future, it may provide an added benefit - but for now, it remains a theoretical incentive awaiting implementation guidelines.”

Any details relating to the visa integrity fee will be posted on the State Department’s visa information page, a spokesperson told CNN.