By Eugene Nicklaus S. Laqui
The United States government has hinted that it would ramp up its visa fee policies to as high as $250 before concluding 2025, as part of the newest set of domestic policy bills of the US president Donald Trump’s administration.
Travel experts expressed dismay at the ruling, fearing the potential setback of such a move to the country’s already spiralling tourism sector.
US visa becomes pricier than ever
According to the latest announcement by the US government, a “visa integrity fee” equivalent to $250 will be implemented for all foreigners applying for a non-immigrant visa upon entering US territories.
Washington explained that all foreign travellers who have business and leisure purposes, international students and temporary visitors will be subjected to the visa integrity fee that would be paid upon the issuance of their visas.
It added that the traveller can have the fee reimbursed after concluding their trip.
Those who are exempted from the policy are travellers from nations that are part of the Visa Waiver Program of the US, including Canada, Australia and most European nations.
The price of the visa integrity fee, according to the US government, is subject to change depending on inflation.
A State Department spokesman explained that the fees collected would be used by the administration to bolster its national policies, particularly in “immigration enforcement, deterring overstays and funding border security.”
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‘A giant leap backwards’
The implementation of the so-called visa integrity fee, expected to take effect by October 2025, was met with a sour note among tourism business owners and travel experts, who warned that it could further deter tourists due to the country’s skyrocketing visa prices.
Erik Hansen, senior vice-president of government relations of US Travel Association, said that the visa integrity fee would be a “giant leap backwards” for US tourism as foreigners would have to face more “financial barriers” in just applying for a US visa.
President and chief executive officer of the travel association, Geoff Freeman, echoed the statements of Hansen and urged the government to instead focus on providing convenient ways to entice international guests, especially with the nearing major sporting events to be held in the US.
The US is the host of the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympics and the 2034 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
Experts address continued slump of US tourismAs tourism around the world continues to boom, the US is the only exception, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), saying that the aggressive policies of the Trump administration have hurt the US tourism sector.
WTTC’s CEO, Julia Simpson, said that US tariffs, travel bans, the inflammatory rhetoric of President Trump and harsh immigration policies have cost the US a thriving tourism industry, with projected losses ranging from $25 billion to $29 billion in 2025 alone.
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