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A provision in the Law on the Big Beautiful Bill is indicated All visitors who need non -migrant visas to enter the United States – tourists, business travelers and international students to name a few – have to pay “a Visa integrity fee” at the moment at a price of $ 250. Travelers who comply with their visa conditions will be entitled to a recovery. The provision is expected to bring $ 28.9 billion over the next decade.
Visitors to the United States will have to pay a new fee for entering the country, according to the recently entered bill of the Trump Administration.
A provision in the law on a large beautiful bill is reads by all visitors who need non -migrant visas to enter the US – tourists, business travelers and international students to name a few – they have to pay a “visa fee” at a price of $ 250. The fee cannot be canceled or reduced, but travelers are able to receive their fees, the provision said.
It is all said that the budget office of the Congress estimates that the new fee can reduce the federal deficit by $ 28.9 billion over the next ten years. During the same period, CBO expects the state’s department to issue about 120 million non -migrant visas.
In 2023 alone, more than 10.4 million non -chesting visas were issued, according to DOS data. CBO expects a “small number” of people will look for a recovery as many non -migrant visas are valid for several years.
CBO also expects the State Department to need several years to implement a recovery process. However, the fee can generate billions, the agency estimates.
The fee was set at $ 250 during the US fiscal 2025, which ends on September 30 and has to be paid when the visa is issued, according to the provision. The internal security secretary can determine the current fee higher, the provision points out. During each subsequent fiscal year, the fee will be adjusted for inflation.
Those who meet the visa restoration requirements are visa holders who meet the conditions of the visa that include not accepting unauthorized employment or do not exceed the date of validity of their visa for more than five days, according to provision.
Older stock analyzer at CFRA Research Ana Garcia said Fortune In an email, she expects the “huge majority” of affected passengers to be eligible for recovery, as historical data on the US Congress Research Service show that only 1% to 2% of non -migrants visitors have exceeded their visas between 2016 and 2022.
“The design of the fee as a restoration of a security deposit dependent on adherence to the visa should mitigate the concerns among legal passengers.” Garcia wrote.
The recovery will be done after the travel visa expires, the provision said. All recovered fees that have not been reimbursed will be deposited in the check of America or the General Government Fund.
The thing is the date of entry into force of the “visa fee for the whole of the visa”.
Stephen A. Brown, a partner at Houston -based Immigration Law Firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, writes in a publication on the website of his company, “the specific start dates of the fee have not yet been confirmed.”
Brown points out that the fee is a supplement to others already required by US travelers.
“For example, the H-1B worker, who already pays a $ 205 application fee, can now expect to pay a total of $ 455 after this fee is available,” Brown wrote.
Most travelers are also obliged to pay a fee that comes when submitting form 1-94 arrival and recording. The law for a large beautiful bill has increased this fee from $ 6 to $ 24.
CFRA’s Garcia expects the demand to be steadfast by the fee, considering
“For wealthy travelers, the extra $ 250 is a manageable growth over total travel costs,” Garcia wrote. “The structure of fees seems strategically designed to improve compliance, not widely restricting travel.”
This story was originally presented on Fortune.com