Understanding the $250 Visa Integrity Fee — and Which Visas It Affects

Under the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (signed July 4, 2025), a new surcharge of $250 will be added to many U.S. non-immigrant visa issuances. This “Visa Integrity Fee” is designed to strengthen the integrity of the visa program by discouraging overstays and misuse.

Which visa types are subject to this fee?

The fee will apply to most categories of non-immigrant visas (i.e., visas for temporary stay, not for immigration/green card). According to legal commentary and government‐watcher sources, it will include at least the following:

• B-1/B-2 (tourist and business visitor visas)

• F-1 / F-2 / M-1 / M-2 (student and vocational student visas)

• H-1B / H-4 (temporary specialty worker visas and dependents)

• J-1 / J-2 (exchange visitor visas and dependents)

• L-1 / L-2 / O-1 / O-2 (certain intracompany transfers, extraordinary ability visas) — commentary indicates all nonimmigrant visa categories are included unless explicitly exempt.

Importantly, immigrant visas (i.e., green card/family based or employment-based permanent visas) are not the primary target of this fee; it is specifically tied to nonimmigrant visas issued by the Department of State.

Key details to know:

• The fee is in addition to existing visa application, issuance, or machine-readable visa (MRV) fees.

• It becomes effective at the time of visa issuance (when the visa stamp is placed in the passport overseas) rather than the USCIS petition stage.

• Nationals of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) generally will not pay this fee when entering under the VWP,

  though special circumstances may differ.

• While the law allows for reimbursement of the fee under very strict conditions (timely departure, no unauthorized employment, no status violations), the practical refund process remains unclear and untested.

  
  

What this means for applicants and sponsors

If you’re applying for or sponsoring someone in a non-immigrant visa category (tourist, student, temporary worker, exchange visitor, etc.), you should plan for an additional $250 cost on top of the regular visa fees (for cases issued after the implementation date). Because the full mechanics (collection, refund eligibility, timeline) are not yet finalized, treat the fee as non-refundable for planning purposes until more guidance is published.

At NextStep Immigration Form Prep, we’re monitoring this change closely. We will update our client advisories, fee summaries, and checklists to ensure you are fully informed of how this may impact your visa strategy and planning.