US Visa Fee Hiked by $250 For India, Mexico, China

The US is tightening immigration laws, visa rules and increasing visa fee and tariffs to discourage foreigners from entering the country, in tune with the Republican President Donald Trump’s ideology.

In continuation of this trend, the US has announced a new $250 “visa integrity fee” for travelers from non-visa waiver countries, raising the total visa cost to $442. This fee will come into effect from October 1, 2025.

With the US officials ramping up the scrutiny on visas and immigrants, the overseas travel to the US fell 3.1% in July 2025, compared to the same month last year, with only 19.2 million visitors arriving. Previously, the officials hoped that international arrivals would surpass the pre-pandemic levels of 79.4 million but this is fifth consecutive month US is witnessing a decline in the numbers.

The increased fee of $250 will apply to applicants from countries outside the US visa waiver program, including Mexico, Argentina, India, Brazil and China. With the addition, the total visa cost will rise to $442, taking it among the highest visitor visa fee globally, the US Travel Association said.

The hike in the visa fee is expected to impact Central and South American nations most, regions that have shown unusual growth this year. According to officials, travel from Mexico jumped nearly 14% by May 2025, Argentina by 20% and Brazil rose by 4.6%. While Central America and South America posted modest gains of 3% and 0.7% respectively, arrivals from Western Europe declined 2.3%.

Apart from making the visa stricter, the Trump administration in August, proposed a pilot program that makes it mandatory for certain tourist and business visa applicants to pay bonds of up to $15,000.

After a few days, draft regulations were released to shorten visa durations for international students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists.