After US President Donald Trump signed the ‘One, Big, Beautiful Bill’ into law on July 4, there is a change in America’s immigration policy as $250 ‘Visa Integrity Fee’ has been introduced for non-immigrant visa categories.

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The new visa rule is part of the omnibus Act. According to the new rule, this mandatory fee, effective from 2026, would apply to “any alien issued a non-immigrant visa” applications, including tourist/business (B-1/B-2), student (F/M), work (H-1B), and exchange (J) visas, with exemptions only for diplomatic visa categories (A and G), a report in India Today said on Wednesday (July 9).

Fee as security deposit

The $250 ‘Visa Integrity Fee’ is pegged to inflation and is likely to change every year. It is like a security deposit and the amount would be refunded if the applicants meet certain criteria, the report added.

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According to Fragomen, a US-based immigration services firm, there are other changes in travel- fees after the signing of the new Bill. There is a $24 I-94 fee, a $13 Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) fee for Visa Waiver Programme travellers, and a $30 Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) fee for certain Chinese nationals with 10-year B-1/B-2 visas. And, all these are not waivable.

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As per the report, for Indians, a US tourist/business visa (B-1/B-2) costs around $185 (Rs 15,855). With the new surcharges, which include the Integrity Fee of $250, the $24 I-94 fee, and the $13 ESTA fee, the tourist visa would cost around $472 (Rs 40,456) – nearly two-and-a-half times the original cost.