The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted on July 4, 2025, introduces a range of new US immigration-related fees and raises the costs of specific application types.
Alongside sizeable appropriations for border security, the legislation introduces a range of new or increased charges for visa, travel and humanitarian immigration filings.
While the statute stipulates that these costs take effect immediately, agencies such as DHS and USCIS must revise their rules and payment mechanisms before they can begin collecting them. On July 11, USCIS signalled that implementation was imminent, but mid‑July fee schedules had not yet been updated.
Notable fee revisions
Among the most significant changes is a new “visa integrity” surcharge of at least $250 on every nonimmigrant visa issued, covering categories like F, H, L and TN. DHS can raise this amount by regulation and will adjust it annually for inflation starting in fiscal 2026. The charge will sit on top of current machine‑readable visa, reciprocity and anti‑fraud fees, cannot be waived, and will only be refunded if the visa holder fully observes the terms of the visa and either departs the country or extends or adjusts status accordingly.
Responsibility for collecting the fee has yet to be assigned, though the State Department is a likely candidate given its role in visa issuance.
The act also triples the I‑94 land‑border entry fee from $6 to $24. It remains unclear whether air travelers will be charged the same, as I‑94 records are automatically generated from airline manifests without individual traveler action.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) charge will rise from $4 to $13, and a $30 fee will apply to the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) used by certain Chinese citizens with decade‑long visitor visas.
Humanitarian filings
The statute imposes new or higher costs on a number of humanitarian programs:
- Asylum: A new $100 filing fee plus another $100 for every year an application remains unresolved. Applicants seeking employment authorisation must pay $550 for the initial permit and $275 for each renewal, with work authorization terminating automatically if the asylum application is denied and not appealed.
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS): A $500 application fee, a $550 initial work authorisation fee and $275 for renewals. TPS‑related work permits are now limited to one‑year validity.
- Parole: A $1,000 application charge and $550 for an initial employment authorization document (EAD), with $275 for extensions.
- Special Immigrant Juvenile status: A new $250 petition fee.
Beginning after FY 2025, these humanitarian fees will increase yearly with inflation, and DHS may set higher amounts by regulation. The legislation also allows DHS to levy asylum adjudication and naturalization fees without tying them to actual processing costs and adds fees for applications filed in immigration court during removal proceedings.
Expanded enforcement funding
Beyond fee changes, the OBBBA directs unprecedented sums into border and interior enforcement, including $46.55 billion for barriers and infrastructure, $45 billion for detention capacity, $29.85 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement hiring and retention, $10 billion for a state‑run border security fund and $6.168 billion for inspection technology.
Such funding is expected to increase workplace inspections and enforcement actions.
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These changes will markedly raise the cost of obtaining US immigration benefits.
Nonimmigrant visa holders will be subject to the new integrity surcharge, and travelers will pay more for I‑94 and ESTA processing, while humanitarian applicants will incur significantly higher fees and shorter work-authorization validity.
The large enforcement outlays signal a broader tilt toward stricter immigration controls, likely resulting in greater compliance scrutiny and operational impacts for businesses with foreign workforce needs.
Employers and applicants should closely monitor agency announcements regarding implementation timelines and adjust immigration budgets and compliance plans accordingly.
To discuss the impact on your organization, or any aspect of US immigration applications, contact us.
Author
Founder & Principal Attorney Nita Nicole Upadhye is a recognized leader in the field of US business immigration law, (The Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, Who's Who Legal and AILA) and an experienced and trusted advisor to large multinational corporates through to SMEs. She provides strategic immigration advice and specialist application support to corporations and professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, artists, actors and athletes from across the globe to meet their US-bound talent mobility needs.
Nita is an active public speaker, thought leader, immigration commentator, and immigration policy contributor and regularly hosts training sessions for employers and HR professionals.