Washington, Aug. 31 -- The United States (US) has announced a new USD 250 "visa integrity fee" for non-immigrant visa applicants, under a provision in the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, spearheaded by the Trump administration.

Effective from October 1, the surcharge will apply to individuals from non-visa waiver countries, encompassing categories such as tourists, business travellers, temporary workers, and students. Affected nations include India, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and China, among others.

With this addition, the total cost of a US visitor visa to USD 442, placing it among the most expensive globally, according to figures cited by the US Travel Association and reported by Reuters.

The fee is framed as a complian...