The US Now Charges a $250 Visa Integrity Fee, and Indian Applicants Are Not Exempt

The United States has introduced a $250 Visa Integrity Fee on most nonimmigrant visas, created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law on 4 July 2025, with the fee's statutory start date set at 1 October 2025. Implementation has been uneven since then: not every US consulate began collecting it immediately, and applicants have reported inconsistent practice across different visa sections well into 2026. The fee has not been widely reported as delayed or repealed, so travellers should treat it as current and confirm directly with their consulate before applying.

Why this matters for Indian travellers specifically

The fee applies broadly to nonimmigrant visa categories, including the B-1/B-2 visitor visa that most Indian tourists and business travellers use, as well as work and study categories such as H-1B and F-1. The main exemption is for travellers using the Visa Waiver Program on an ESTA, plus a small number of other categories such as diplomatic visas; India is not part of the Visa Waiver Program, so Indian applicants for a standard visitor visa do not qualify for that exemption.

How it is charged

The Visa Integrity Fee is due at the point a visa is issued rather than when the application is submitted, and sits on top of the existing nonimmigrant visa application fee that applicants already pay. It is set to adjust annually in line with inflation, so the $250 figure is a starting point rather than a fixed long-term amount.

What 'refundable' actually means so far

The law describes the fee as reimbursable if a visa holder complies fully with the terms of their visa, including not overstaying, but a clear, tested process for actually reclaiming the fee has not been consistently reported. Applicants should not assume they will get the money back automatically and should ask their consulate what documentation, if any, is required.

What to check before applying

Given the uneven rollout, the most reliable step is to check current fee requirements directly on the website of the specific US embassy or consulate handling the application, rather than relying on a previous applicant's experience or a past year's costs.

Traveller tips

• Budget for the $250 fee on top of the standard visa application fee when applying for a US visitor, work or study visa from India.
• The fee is paid at visa issuance, not at the time of application, so it will not appear in the initial application payment.
• Keep all visa compliance documentation in case a refund process becomes clearer or is requested retroactively.
• Always confirm current fees and procedures on the official US Department of State or local embassy website before applying, since this article reflects the position as of September 2026.