Trump Imposes $250 Visa Fee on Foreign Tourists in Major Travel Crackdown

New Visa Integrity Fee Sparks Concerns Among Travelers and Industry Experts

President Donald Trump’s economic blueprint, known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” includes a provision that could have a significant impact on international tourism in the United States. This provision introduces a new “visa integrity fee” for foreign visitors entering the country. The move comes amid ongoing challenges faced by the U.S. tourism sector, which has been affected by previous immigration policies implemented under the Trump administration.

The new fee is part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law earlier this month. While the exact details of the fee remain unclear, including how it will be collected and whether it can be reimbursed, industry experts are already raising concerns about its potential impact. A spokesperson from the U.S. Travel Association told CNBC that the lack of clarity surrounding the implementation of the fee poses “significant challenges and unanswered questions.”

The visa integrity fee is set at $250 per visa during the U.S. fiscal year 2025, which runs from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. However, the legislation gives the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, the authority to increase the fee at her discretion. After this period, the fee will be adjusted based on inflation, according to reports.

This new charge will apply to all nonimmigrant visa holders, including tourists, business travelers, and international students. Some travelers, such as those from Australia, Japan, and many European countries, may be exempt if they qualify for the Visa Waiver Program. Importantly, the fee will only be required once a visa is issued, meaning applicants who are denied a visa will not be charged.

It is also worth noting that the visa integrity fee will not replace existing visa fees but will be an additional cost. For example, an H-1B worker who currently pays a $205 application fee may now pay a total of $455 once the new fee is in place. Additionally, the $250 fee will be added to the “Form I-94 fee,” which was increased from $6 to $24 under Trump’s economic plan. This fee must be paid by anyone required to submit a Form I-94, which applies to most international travelers.

Travelers may be eligible for reimbursement if they meet certain conditions, such as not engaging in unauthorized employment or overstaying their visa by more than five days. However, the process for reimbursement remains unclear. According to Steven A. Brown, a partner at the Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, the fee has not yet been implemented, and it is uncertain when the Department of Homeland Security will begin collecting it.

“The bill directs the DHS Secretary to charge the fee, but DHS does not own the visa application, issuance, or renewal process—so where and when would DHS collect the fee?” asked a spokesperson from the U.S. Travel Association. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNBC that the visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before it can be implemented.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the fee will generate significant revenue over the next decade. It projects that the Department of State will need several years to implement a reimbursement process, and that the provision will increase revenues and reduce the deficit by $28.9 billion over the 2025–2034 period.

Brown advises his clients to treat the fee as nonrefundable, stating, “If you get it back, great. But it is usually difficult to get money back from the government.” He suggests that travelers should view any potential refund as a “bonus.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the visa integrity fee, the Department of Homeland Security has defended the policy, stating that it provides the necessary resources to restore integrity in the nation’s immigration system.