The additional cost, set to enter impact on October 1, raises the overall visa price to $442, one of many highest customer charges on this planet, in keeping with the US Journey Affiliation
NEW YORK, USA – A brand new $250 “visa integrity payment” imposed on vacationers to america dangers piling extra stress on the struggling journey business, as abroad arrivals proceed to fall resulting from President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration and hostility to many international international locations.
Abroad journey to the US fell 3.1% year-on-year in July to 19.2 million guests, in keeping with US authorities knowledge. It was the fifth month of decline this yr, defying expectations that 2025 would see annual inbound guests lastly surpass the pre-pandemic degree of 79.4 million.
The brand new visa payment, set to enter impact on October 1, provides an extra hurdle for vacationers from non-visa waiver international locations like Mexico, Argentina, India, Brazil and China. The additional cost raises the overall visa price to $442, one of many highest customer charges on this planet, in keeping with the US Journey Affiliation, a membership group.
“Any friction we add to the traveler expertise goes to chop journey volumes by some quantity,” stated Gabe Rizzi, President of Altour, a worldwide journey administration firm. “Because the summer time ends it will develop into a extra urgent challenge, and we’ll must issue the charges into journey budgets and documentation.”
Worldwide customer spending within the US is projected to fall under $169 billion this yr, down from $181 billion in 2024, in keeping with the World Journey & Tourism Council.
The visa payment reinforces a bleak notion of the US beneath Trump, whose immigration insurance policies, cuts to international assist and sweeping tariffs have eroded America’s attraction as a vacation spot — even with main occasions just like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on the horizon.
The Trump administration on Wednesday, August 27, proposed authorities regulation that goals to tighten the length of visas for college kids, cultural trade guests and members of the media.
In early August, the administration stated the US may require bonds of as much as $15,000 for some vacationer and enterprise visas beneath a pilot program efficient August 20 that may final for about a yr, in an effort to crack down on guests overstaying their visas.
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics consultancy, forecast in December 2024 that abroad journey to the US in 2025 would enhance greater than 10% year-over-year. As an alternative, it’s on monitor to fall 3%, stated Aran Ryan, director of business research at Tourism Economics.
“We see it as a sustained setback, and we anticipate a lot of it’s in place all through the administration,” Ryan stated.
Hardest hit
The latest visa payment is more likely to hit hardest in Central and South American international locations which have been a uncommon vivid spot for US journey this yr.
As of Might, journey from Mexico to the US was up practically 14% in 2025, in keeping with the Nationwide Journey and Tourism Workplace.
Arrivals from Argentina rose 20% and from Brazil 4.6% year-to-date. Total, journey from Central America grew 3% and from South America 0.7%, in contrast with a decline of two.3% from Western Europe.
In China, arrivals have remained muted because the pandemic, with July numbers nonetheless 53% under 2019 ranges. The visa payment additionally threatens journey from India, the place visits are down 2.4% to date this yr, pushed by a close to 18% drop in college students.
For some, the rise in charges will probably be absorbed as simply one other price in an already costly journey to the US.
“The US has at all times been selective about its guests. In case your monetary standing isn’t as much as par, getting a visa is hard anyway,” stated Su Shu, founding father of Chinese language agency Second Journey in Chengdu.
As international guests face greater entry charges, US vacationers fear about stricter necessities being imposed overseas, stated James Kitchen, journey agent and proprietor of Seas 2 Day & Journey.
“Vacationers have expressed concern round reciprocal charges that could be imposed within the coming months,” Kitchen stated. – Rappler.com
