Travellers headed to the U.S. will now have to pay a 'visa integrity fee.' Here's what it is

Included in the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act , which was recently enacted, is a provision about some travellers having to pay $250, a so-called “visa integrity fee,” to enter the country. The act includes a plan to secure the U.S. border and gives Homeland Security the resources it needs, per the White House . It promises to provide more funding for ICE agents, for detention centres, as well as funds for completing the U.S.’s border wall. The visa integrity fee is meant to go toward supporting “enforcement and administrative efforts related to U.S. visa policy and border security,” USA Today reported . Another travel policy that was previously announced by the Trump administration, the alien registration requirement for foreigners, was later updated to exempt most Canadians from being fingerprinted. Currently, in most cases, Canadians do not require visitor, business, transit or other visas to enter the United States from Canada, according to the Canadian federal government . Here’s what to know so far. Who must pay the visa integrity fee? The visa integrity fee applies to “any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa at the time of such issuance,” according to the act. It must be paid in addition to any other fee authorized by law. The fee is currently set at $250, although it can be increased, and will be adjusted for inflation. “Attaching an additional $250 fee has the very real potential to significantly reduce the number of people that can afford to do that,” managing director of programs and strategy at the American Immigration Council Jorge Loweree told USA Today. “There are hundreds of thousands of people who receive visas and permission from the Department of State to come to the U.S. every single month temporarily.” Can the visa integrity fee be waived? No. According to the bill, it will not be waived or reduced. However, the secretary of Homeland Security can provide a reimbursement if the person has complied with all of the conditions of the nonimmigrant visa. This means the person has not tried to extend the period of admission and has left the United States no later than five days after the visa’s expiry. A person can also be reimbursed if they were granted an extension of nonimmigrant status or if their status changed to “a lawful permanent resident.” “The intent behind this refund provision is to incentivize compliance with U.S. immigration laws by treating the $250 as a refundable security deposit — essentially rewarding those who follow the rules,” lawyer Steven Brown wrote online . Brown is a partner at U.S. immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC based in Houston. When will the visa integrity fee go into effect? Although the act has been signed into law, it is not immediately clear when the fee will be implemented. In his blog post, Brown wrote there was no effective date. How will this affect travel to the United States? As well as the visa integrity fee, there were also other fees included in the act. U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman issued a statement to Congress , calling the fees “foolish.” “Raising fees on lawful international visitors amounts to a self-imposed tariff on one of our nation’s largest exports: international travel spending,” said Freeman. “These fees are not reinvested in improving the travel experience and do nothing but discourage visitation at a time when foreign travellers are already concerned about the welcome experience and high prices.” Forbes reported that U.S. tourism officials “argue that anything that makes it more difficult or expensive to visit the United States can be a deterrent to large numbers of visitors.” Tensions between the U.S. and Canada are already high amid an ongoing trade war and rhetoric about Canada becoming the 51st state.

• Anthony De Luca-Baratta: Canada cannot afford to pivot away from the U.S.
• Border bitterness is devastating cross-border tourism. But one Canadian city is bucking the trend

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.