Visiting the US will soon require a $250 'visa integrity fee' [View all]

Source: CNN

The United States will require international visitors to pay a new “visa integrity fee” of at least $250, added to existing visa application costs, according to a provision in the Trump administration’s recently enacted domestic policy bill.

The fee will apply to all visitors who are required to obtain nonimmigrant visas to enter the United States. This includes many leisure and business travelers, international students and other temporary visitors. In fiscal year 2024, the US issued nearly 11 million nonimmigrant visas, according to State Department figures.

Tourists and business travelers from countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program, including Australia and many European countries, aren’t required to obtain visas for stays of 90 days or less.

Payment will be required at the time visas are issued, and there will be no fee waivers. Travelers who comply with their visa conditions can have their fees reimbursed after the trip is over, according to the provision.

Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/21/travel/visa-integrity-fee-usa-international-travelers

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So, if people coming from countries where visas [much of Europe, Australia, Israel, Japan, Qatar, etc] are not required do not pay the fee then it will be levied on people from countries the Administration does not necessarily want to encourage - Africa, South America/Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, etc.

Only white tourists, and those from select few other countries, are welcome with open arms. The Visa Waiver program already says that. This fee just puts a price on the US's disapproval of people from the rest of the world.