This change comes as part of a provision in the Trump administration’s recently enacted domestic policy bill, formally known as the Big Beautiful Bill Act.

This will affect a wide range of visitors who are required to obtain nonimmigrant visas to enter the US, such as tourists, business visitors, international students, and others coming for temporary stays.

Photo: Sujoy Dhar/IBNS

Although the law allows reimbursement of the fee after the visa expires, the mechanisms behind the process are not yet clarified.

According to U.S. State Department data, nearly 11 million nonimmigrant visas were issued in fiscal year 2024 alone.

Big Beautiful Bill

Against the backdrop of Fourth of July celebrations, Trump signed the legislation for his Big Beautiful Bill.

The bill covers tax cuts, spending measures, and immigration policy among the key provisions which  gives the Department of Homeland Security the power to impose new fees on foreign visitors.

Photo: Sujoy Dhar/IBNS

Fees that aren’t reimbursed will be “deposited into the general fund of the Treasury”, the provision in the bill says.

Visa waiver program

This new requirement affects nationals of countries such as India, China, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, and the Philippines, as well as most countries in the Middle East and Africa.

The fee will be charged in addition to existing visa application costs and will apply to all non-immigrant visa types, including B-1/B-2 visas for business or tourism. F-1 visas for students, H-1B visas for temporary workers, and J-1 visas for exchange visitors.

According to the U.S. State Department, citizens visiting from the more than 40 countries included in the Visa Waiver Program may be exempt from the new fee.

Citizens of countries in the Visa Waiver Program—primarily from Europe, East Asia, and a few other regions—are not subject to the new fee, as they do not require a visa for short-term visits to the US.

Photo: Sujoy Dhar/IBNS

U.S. officials say the fee is intended to strengthen visa processing and enhance security, though it is likely to raise costs for millions of travellers, students, and workers from non-VWP nations.

US tourism declines

According to the World Travel & Tourism Council report, the U.S. is on track to lose a staggering $12.5BN in international visitor spending this year.

"International visitor spending in the U.S. is projected to fall to just under $169BN this year, down from $181BN in 2024.

"This significant shortfall represents a 22.5% decline compared to the previous peak," the report stated.

According to the study, only the U.S., the largest travel & tourism sector in the world, is expected to see international visitor spending decline in 2025 among 184 economies analysed.

The new $250 fee will be added on top of existing visa application costs, pushing the total expense for Indian nationals, for example, to around $473 (approximately ₹41,000).