U.S. Introduces $250 Visa Integrity Fee: Who Must Pay and What It Means

1. What Is the Visa Integrity Fee?

The Visa Integrity Fee is a charge that costs $250. This fee is added to visa applications for people who want to visit the United States but not live there. The government started doing this because of a law called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This law was signed in 2025. It made a lot of changes, to visas and immigration. The Visa Integrity Fee is one of these changes.

The fee is meant to act like a security deposit to encourage visitors to comply with U.S. immigration rules — for instance, not overstaying their visa or working without authorization.

U.S. Visa Integrity Fee Introduced: A passport, cash, and credit cards symbolize the financial implications of the new $250 charge.

2. Who Has to Pay the $250 Fee?

The fee is for people who want to apply for types of work visas that do not need a petition. This fee is, for the main people applying for these types of work visas:

• H-1B (Specialty Occupations)

• H-4 (Dependents of H-1B holders) — This is a major inclusion.

• L-1 (Intracompany Transferees)

• L-2 (Dependents of L-1 holders) — This is also a major inclusion.

• O-1 (Individuals with Extraordinary Ability)

• O-2 (Accompanying support for O-1)

• O-3 (Dependents of O-1 holders)
  

Crucial Detail: The fee is charged per visa application, not per petition. If a principal applicant and two dependents are all applying for visas, each of the three individuals must pay the $250 fee.

3. Who Does Not Pay the Fee?

• There are two categories of people who do not have to pay the fee. These are people who're exempt from paying the fee. The two categories of people who are exempt, from the fee are cases.

• Visa Exempt Travelers are people from countries that do not need a visa to visit. These are countries that're part of the Visa Waiver Program. If you are from one of these countries like the United Kingdom, France, Germany or Japan you can use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which is also known as ESTA when you come to visit for a time like ninety days or less. The Visa Waiver Program is for people who want to visit for a time so it is perfect, for the Visa Exempt Travelers who do not plan to stay long.

• Immigrant Visa Applicants are people who want to live in the United States for good. They are trying to get an Immigrant Visa, which is also known as a Green Card. These people do not have to pay the fee. The reason is that the fee is for people who only want to stay in the United States for a time not for people who want to live there forever, like Immigrant Visa Applicants.

• Applicants for Status Change (in the US): If an individual is already in the U.S. and is applying to change or extend their status (e.g., changing from F-1 to H-1B, or extending a B-2 stay) through USCIS (Form I-539, I-129, etc.), they do not pay this fee, as it is collected only upon the physical issuance of the visa stamp by the Department of State abroad

4. When Is the Fee Charged?

• Unlike the application fee (paid when you schedule your interview or submit DS-160), the integrity fee is supposed to be charged at the time your visa is issued — only if your visa is approved. If your visa interview results in a denial, you should not be charged the integrity fee.

• However, as of late 2025, embassies and consulates still haven’t fully updated their systems to show this fee in practice — and many applicants report not yet being charged at the time of visa issuance, likely due to delayed implementation logistics.

5. Can You Get a Refund?

Yes — in theory.

The law says that you can get your money back, for the fee if you do everything the visa requires like:

• When you are leaving the United States you need to do this on or before the date you are supposed to leave. This date is usually within 5 days after your visa expires. You have to leave the United States on or, before your authorized departure date to avoid any problems. Leaving the U.S. On time is very important.

• Avoiding unauthorized work while in the U.S.

• Maintaining your visa status — or, if eligible, adjusting status or legally extending it.

Here is the important thing to remember:

• Refund rules have not yet been fully defined. Officials have not yet announced exactly how or when refunds will be processed, what forms are required, or whether refunds will be automatic or manual.

• Many experts now advise treating the fee as non-refundable for planning purposes, since the refund process could be complicated, slow, and bureaucratic once it’s finally rolled out

6. Practical Tips for Applicants

• Budget Accordingly: Factor in the additional $250 per person when calculating the total cost of your U.S. trip or relocation, and treat it as a sunk, non-refundable cost for now.

• Keep Records: If you are going to try to get a refund you should carefully save all the proof that you left or followed the rules, including:

• You should have I-94 records that show when you left the country. These electronic I-94 records are important because they have the details of your departure, from the United States. The electronic I-94 records will show the date you left.

• When you are getting ready to travel you need to have your boarding passes or your travel documents stamped. These are the things that show you can get on a plane and go to where you want to go. You should always make sure you have your boarding passes or stamped travel documents with you.

• Records of all legal status changes/extensions.

• Prioritize Compliance: Now, more than ever, strict adherence to the terms of your visa (especially the departure date on your I-94) is critical, as any violation will automatically result in the forfeiture of the fee.