More
    HomeWorldUS hikes H-1B visa fee: $250 security deposit made mandatory for tourists...

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

    Published on

    spot_img


    US hikes visa fees for all categories including students, business, H-1B, tourists.

    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 no waiver available and it is seen as a measure to ensure that foreigners on a visa abide by 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 fee 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 $472 with the integrity fee, the $24 I-94 fee, and the $13 ESTA feeAccording to the National Immigration Forum, a US-based immigrant advocacy group, the asylum fee will stop people from seeking protection in the US.





    Source link

    Latest articles

    Drake, Ravyn Lenae, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’: Who Will Crash Next Week’s Hot 100 Top 10?

    The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the...

    With Her Signature Flair, Amina Muaddi Unveils Her First Standalone Store on Avenue Montaigne in Paris

    Amina Muaddi opened the doors of her first-ever standalone store in Paris on...

    7 highest-grossing Bollywood movies you must watch

    Starring Shah Rukh Khan, it became the second highest-grossing Bollywood film with Rs...

    Centre set to approve 110-km Bhubaneswar bypass; road to connect Khurda and Cuttack | India News – Times of India

    Odisha is set to get a mega 110-km highway project, costing around...

    More like this

    Drake, Ravyn Lenae, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’: Who Will Crash Next Week’s Hot 100 Top 10?

    The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the...

    With Her Signature Flair, Amina Muaddi Unveils Her First Standalone Store on Avenue Montaigne in Paris

    Amina Muaddi opened the doors of her first-ever standalone store in Paris on...

    7 highest-grossing Bollywood movies you must watch

    Starring Shah Rukh Khan, it became the second highest-grossing Bollywood film with Rs...