Visa Integrity Fee Introduced Under New U.S. Immigration Budget Law

New and Additional Immigration Fees Coming as Budget Law Passed

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted on July 4, 2025, imposes several new fees for a variety of immigration cases and increases fees for some filings. The new statutorily imposed fees will be subject to an annual inflation adjustment beginning in fiscal year 2026. Many of the fees set a statutory minimum amount that may be increased to “such amount as the Secretary of Homeland Security may establish, by rule.”

Under the language of the OBBBA, these new and increased immigration fees are intended to take effect immediately. However, as a practical matter, relevant agencies such as DHS, DOS and DOJ require time to update policy, public guidance, fee schedule and potentially even payment systems to reflect and implement the changes.

As such, the fees are not yet shown on the USCIS Fee Schedule and are not yet being collected by DOS at consular Visa Appointments. USCIS released a statement titled “New Fees for Certain Immigration Benefit Requests” on July 11, 2025, which states, “USCIS will soon begin to collect new fees for certain immigration benefit requests. We will provide details on the implementation of these fee changes in the coming days.”

Visa Integrity Fee

The OBBBA imposes a new “Visa Integrity Fee” to be levied on “any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa at the time of such issuance.” As reflected in that language, the fee applies to all nonimmigrant visa categories that require visa issuance for travel into the U.S. (F, H, L, TN, etc.) and is to be paid upon issuance of a nonimmigrant visa. The new fee will be due in addition to all existing fees, such as reciprocity fees, anti-fraud fees and the “machine-readable visa” (MRV) visa application fee.

As noted above, the statute sets a minimum amount of $250 that is increaseable to “such amount as the Secretary of Homeland Security may establish, by rule.” It is also subject to an annual inflation adjustment beginning in fiscal year 2026.

This fee is not waivable or reducible. However, it may be reimbursed to the nonimmigrant payor if such payor:

• (1) fully complies with the terms of their visa; and
• (2) either:
  • (1) departs the U.S. promptly at the conclusion of their period of authorized stay;
  • (2) obtains an extension of their nonimmigrant status; or
  • (3) adjusts status to that of a lawful permanent resident (LPR).

Although the fee amount is set by DHS, the statute does not specify which agency will be responsible for collecting it. Given its connection to visa issuance, the Department of State may be involved in the collection process during the consular visa appointment process. On the other hand, DHS may instead collect the fee, given its responsibility for administering reimbursements. All collected revenues, aside from those reimbursed, will be deposited into the U.S. Treasury’s general fund.

Updated I-94 Fee

Nonimmigrants entering the U.S. by land have long been required to request that an I-94 record be created for them and pay a fee of $6 for its issuance. OBBBA has changed the fee for creating an I-94 record from $6 to $24.

It currently remains unclear if nonimmigrants who enter the U.S. by air would also have to pay this fee, since the I-94 process is connected to the flight manifest information transmitted from the airline to DHS. Previously, air travelers were not required to pay the $6 fee. So it is possible that the $24 fee will be incorporated into the admission process at an earlier step or potentially paid in advance through an online system such as the CBP One app.

Updated ESTA Fee

Under the OBBBA, the fee for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will also increase from $4 to $13.

Other Highlighted Immigration Fee Changes

The OBBBA changes also include new and increased fees across a variety of asylum- and TPS-related filings, including the following:

• Asylum Application fee of $100 with an additional $100 fee imposed for every year the application remains pending.
  • Current fee: $0.
• Parole Application fee of $1000.
  • Current fee: $0 to $630, depending on case specifics.
• TPS Application fee of $500.
  • Current fee: $80.
• TPS-based EAD (initial) fee of $550.
  • Current fee: $0 to $520, depending on case specifics.
  • Note: OBBBA also limits TPS-based EAD validity to a maximum of 1 year.
• TPS-based EAD (renewal) fee of $275.
  • Current fee: $0 to $520, depending on case specifics.
  • Note: OBBBA also limits TPS-based EAD validity to a maximum of 1 year.

Don’t Miss an Update

At Envoy Global, we combine smart, friendly legal teams with smart, friendly technology to facilitate immigration for companies and the global talent they depend on. Our holistic, proactive immigration services are built for accuracy and efficiency, always putting people first.

Reach out today to learn how we can support your company’s immigration needs!