US DEMANDS VISA INTEGRITY FEE FROM TOURISTS

If you’re planning to visit the United States, you might want to add another fee to your visa budget.

President Donald Trump’s recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires visitors to the country to pay a visa integrity fee in addition to all the other visa fees required.

The fee will be applicable to all visitors who require non-immigrant visas to enter and can’t be waived.

The fee of $250 will increase annually, depending on the fiscal year. The Secretary of Homeland Security has said the fee will increase from 1 October when the new US government fiscal year kicks in.

Intricate details around the visa haven’t been clear, which has led to a spokesperson from the US Travel Association saying it has resulted in “significant challenges and unanswered questions regarding implementation”.

So far, it’s at least been made clear that the fee must be paid when the visa is issued, so if a person’s visa is denied, they won’t be required to pay the fee.

Reimbursement is possible if the visa holder complies with the conditions of the visa. According to NBC News, one of the conditions is that a visa holder “won’t accept unauthorised employment” and won’t overstay the visa validity date by more than five days.

Image credit: La Revista Binacional