Updated October 30, 2026

The $250 visa integrity fee: what the law says and where it stands

The visa integrity fee is a $250 charge created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, Public Law 119-21), signed July 4, 2025. The law charges it to anyone issued a US nonimmigrant visa, at the time the visa is issued, on top of the visa application fee. As of October 30, 2026, no Federal Register notice has set a collection date, and DHS said in July 2025 that it will implement the fee in a future publication.

Here's what the law says about who pays, getting the money back and yearly increases, plus a dated table of the other US travel fees that changed in 2025 and 2026.

What is the visa integrity fee?

It's a fee in section 100007 of Public Law 119-21, the budget law known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The law tells the Secretary of Homeland Security to charge it in addition to any other fee authorized by law, so it doesn't replace the visa application fee you already pay before your interview.

• Amount: for fiscal year 2025, the greater of $250 or an amount DHS sets by rule.
• When it's charged: at the time a nonimmigrant visa is issued, not when you apply or book the interview.
• No waiver: the law says the fee can't be waived or reduced.
• Where the money goes: fees that aren't reimbursed go to the general fund of the Treasury.

Do you have to pay the visa integrity fee now?

As of October 30, 2026, we found no notice that starts collecting it. In a July 22, 2025 Federal Register notice on the H.R. 1 fees, DHS said the visa integrity fee needs cross-agency coordination before it can be implemented and that it will be implemented in a future publication.

Since then, DHS has published notices that started the other H.R. 1 travel fees (ESTA, EVUS and the land border I-94) and adjusted them for inflation, most recently on October 1, 2026. None of those notices sets a visa integrity fee amount or start date. A Federal Register search for "visa integrity fee" on October 30, 2026 showed no implementing notice.

Where to check before you pay anything: the Federal Register search above, the State Department's Fees for Visa Services page, and the visa page of the US embassy or consulate where you'll interview. Pay fees only through the payment steps your embassy's appointment system gives you.

Who would pay the visa integrity fee?

The law covers any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa. That includes the visas most people interview for: B1/B2 visitor visas, F-1 student visas, J-1 exchange visas and work visas like H-1B. It doesn't list exceptions by visa type or nationality.

The law ties the fee to the visa being issued, not to the application. Travelers under the Visa Waiver Program use ESTA rather than a visa and pay the ESTA fee instead. If that's you, our guide on what to do if your ESTA is denied covers the visa route.

Can you get the $250 back?

Possibly. The law says DHS may reimburse the fee after your visa's validity period ends, if you show both of these:

1. After you were admitted to the US on that visa, you complied with all of its conditions, including not working without authorization.
2. Either you didn't seek to extend your period of admission and you left the US no later than 5 days after the last day of that period, or, during the visa's validity, you were granted an extension of your status or an adjustment to permanent resident status.

As of October 30, 2026, DHS hasn't published how to ask for a reimbursement. The reimbursement is something DHS may provide, not an automatic refund. Keep your I-94 records and travel dates either way, since the conditions turn on when you entered and left.

Will the visa integrity fee go up every year?

The law builds in an increase. Starting in fiscal year 2026, each year's amount is the previous year's fee plus that fee times the percentage by which the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for July rose over the July before, with the increase rounded down to the nearest dollar.

As of October 30, 2026, DHS hasn't published an inflation-adjusted visa integrity fee. Its FY 2026 notice (November 19, 2025) and FY 2027 notice (October 1, 2026) set that year's parole, Form I-94, ESTA and EVUS fees and don't list the visa integrity fee. So $250 is the only amount stated in the law, and any higher figure you see quoted is an estimate.

What other US travel fees changed in 2025 and 2026?

Several other fees for visitors changed, mostly from the same law. Here's where each stood as of October 30, 2026, with the date each one took effect.

If you're traveling on ESTA, our ESTA arrival questions guide explains what CBP asks at the airport.

How does the $750 expedited appointment fee work?

The State Department created it with a temporary rule effective July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026. It lets B1/B2 applicants at selected posts pay $750 to get an interview appointment within ten business days of paying, if expedited slots are open. The rule says the posts are published on travel.state.gov and the slots come in limited numbers.

• You first submit your DS-160, pay the visa application fee and book a regular appointment. Then you can choose an expedited slot and pay the $750 online.
• If you miss or cancel the expedited appointment, you lose the $750.
• It doesn't guarantee a visa and doesn't speed up any later step, including administrative processing.
• Consular sections at pilot and other posts can still expedite an interview without a fee for specific humanitarian reasons or urgent travel in the US national interest.

Before paying, check the regular wait at your post. Our guide to US visa appointment wait times explains how to read the table and how the free expedite request works.

Do the new fees change the visa interview itself?

No. None of these fees changes what the consular officer decides or how. Paying $750 gets you an earlier date, not an easier interview, and the visa integrity fee, once collected, is charged when a visa is issued. The officer still decides from your DS-160 and your answers, so the work is the same: know your trip, your money and your ties, and say each in a sentence or two.

For the day itself, start with our US visa interview tips, then check that your answers match your form with how the DS-160 comes up in the interview. Visitors can rehearse with the B1/B2 interview questions.

Visaful is an AI mock interview app for US visa interviews: an AI officer asks your visa's questions out loud and shows what to fix.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.