US hikes H-1B visa fee: $250 security deposit made mandatory for tourists too

From 2026, students, tourists, and even asylum seekers will have to pay more as Donald Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill which is now an Act introduced several new provisions for visa. According to the new rule, this mandatory fee would apply to "any alien issued a non-immigrant visa" applications, including tourist/business (B-1/B-2), student (F/M), work (H-1B), and exchange (J) visas, with exemptions only for diplomatic visa categories (A and G).

According to reports, a fixed $250 fee will be charged at the time of the visa issuance but it is refundable if the applicant complies with all the rules and departs timely. There is mo waiver available and it is seen as a measure to ensure that foreigners on visa abide y immigration laws.

From 2026 onward, the amount of $250 will increase annually based on the Consumer Price Index.

Fragomen, a US-based immigration services firm reported that the Act has other travel-related fees including a $24 I-94 fee, a $13 Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) fee for Visa Waiver Programme travellers, and a $30 Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) fee for certain Chinese nationals with 10-year B-1/B-2 visas, none of which are waivable.

Other hikes include a $1000 fee for asylum applications and for individuals paroled into the country, $500 fee for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), $100 annual fee for asylum seekers while their cases are pending, and $1,500 to adjust to lawful permanent resident status.

What is visa integrity fee ?

The $250 fee that every visa applicant has to pay is called the 'visa integrity fee'. According to the present visa fee structure, a US tourist/business visa (B-1/B-2) for Indians costs around $185. The total cost can now go up to to $472 with the integrity fee, the $24 I-94 fee, and the $13 ESTA fee

According to the National Immigration Forum, a US-based immigrant advocacy group, the asylum fee will stop people from seeking protection in the US.