US Visa Fees 2025/2026 Update: A Full List of Changes for F, B, and H Categories

1. The cost of a Standard Visa Application is not changing.

You have to pay the Machine Readable Visa application fee when you schedule your visa interview.

This fee has to be paid before you do anything and you will not get your money back even if you do not get a visa.

Here are the fees for types of visas:

• B-1/B-2 Visitor Visas cost $185

• F-1 Student Visas cost $185

• H-1B, L-1 O-1 Work Visas cost $205

• E Visas, for Treaty Traders and Investors cost $315

2. New $250 Visa Integrity Fee (2025/2026)

This fee is required for all non-immigrant visas.

• The Visa Integrity Fee is a surcharge.

• It started being enforced in the year 2026.

• This is, around October 1 2025. Will be fully enforced by January 1 2026.

• The Visa Integrity Fee applies to F, B and H visa categories.

• You pay the Visa Integrity Fee when you get your visa.

• It is not paid when you apply for the visa.

• The fee will go up or down every year.

• This change is based on inflation.

• The Consumer Price Index will be used to adjust the Visa Integrity Fee from 2026.

3. Fee Breakdown by Category (Estimated 2026 Total)

The following table reflects the combined cost of the base fee and the new Integrity Fee:

Visa Category	Base Fee (MRV)	Integrity Fee	Total Estimated Cost
B1/B2 (Visitor)	$185	$250	$435
F-1 / M-1 (Student)	$185	$250	$435 (+ SEVIS Fee)
H-1B (Skilled Worker)	$205	$250	$455 (+ Petition Fees)

4. Other Costs That May Apply

There are costs you might need to pay apart from the standard application fees. These include:

• SEVIS Fee for F and M visas: now it is $350 for students with an F-1 visa.

• Premium Processing for H-1B and employment visas: this went up to $2,965 starting March 1 2026.

• Form I-94 Fee: this used to be $6 but now it is $24 if you enter by land border.

• Reciprocity Fees: these fees depend on your country. Can vary. You can check the DOS Reciprocity Table to see what applies to you.

• Anti-Fraud Fee: $500, for H-1B and L-1 petitions. The employer typically pays this.

5. Fee Refund And Compliance Rules

The fee structure has a special rule for getting your money back but this only applies to the $250 Integrity Fee.

To get a refund of the $250 Integrity Fee you have to meet some conditions. You may be able to get a refund of the $250 Integrity Fee after your visa's no longer valid if you do the following things:

• You follow all the rules of your visa status for example you do not work without permission.

• You leave the United States within 5 days of your allowed stay ending. You are able to extend your stay or get a green card.

Let us be realistic here. Now there is no way for the government to process these refunds. The government thinks that few people will actually get their money back. So, for people the $250 Integrity Fee is a cost that you will not get back. You should plan to pay the $250 Integrity Fee as a cost.

6. Summary: What This Means, for Applicants

• Budgeting: A family of four applying for B1/B2 visas will have to pay around $1,000 because of the new Integrity Fee.

• Timing: If you already paid your visa fee before 2026 you might not have to pay the Integrity Fee for that application.

• Documentation: To get a $250 refund later you need to keep records of when you left the country like your boarding passes and I-94 history.

Good Luck.