Filipino Travelers To The U.s. Will Soon Face New P14,000 “visa Integrity Fee” – What You Need To Know

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Filipinos readying to sojourn nan United States will soon beryllium required to salary a caller fee, connected apical of regular visa fees. The U.S. government’s “Visa Integrity Fee,” portion of nan Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, would soon deed each non-immigrant visa applicants—meaning travelers, business group and world students. The action is intended to bolster visa enforcement and to curb visa overstays, but for galore travelers, nan caller interest will magnitude to yet different financial hurdle.

This caller visa integrity fee, which is pegged astatine a minimum of $250 (around P14,000 astatine existent speech rates), will beryllium collected successful summation to nan regular visa exertion charges, including nan Machine-Readable Visa (MRV) interest and nan I-94 arrival/departure paper fee. The further complaint will beryllium levied connected everyone who applies for a non-immigrant visa to nan U.S., pinch nan objection of citizens of countries that are portion of nan U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which includes Japan, South Korea and astir Western European countries. The Philippines is not portion of nan VWP, though — and astir Filipinos will consciousness nan impact.

Effects of nan Fee connected Filipino Travelers

The added disbursal will beryllium of peculiar interest to Filipino travelers, who already look a steep costs to use for a U.S. visa. A Filipino worker, for example, who applies for an H-1B visa would now salary a emblematic visa interest of $205. Adding nan caller visa integrity fee, nan full measure could soar to $455 aliases more, according to migration lawyer Steven A. Brown, who said to CNBC. For some, particularly those applying for tourer aliases business visas, this hike will beryllium rather a financial burden.

This occurs wrong nan discourse of an expanding number of Filipinos visiting nan U.S. For astir people, visiting nan U.S. is nan acquisition of a life — bask clip to research nan U.S. for tourism, business aliases education. However, pinch nan added disbursal of nan Visa Integrity Fee, this dream could shrink further for nan fund conscious.

Who will beryllium impacted by nan Visa Integrity Fee?

The argumentation will impact galore of nan Philippines’ non-immigrant visa applicants. That includes H visas (temporary workers), F and J visas (students and speech visitors) and B visas (tourists and business travelers). Also, arsenic I’ve already mentioned, nan Philippines is not a portion of nan U.S. Visa Waiver Program — truthful astir each Filipino travelers will beryllium taxable to this caller fee. Visitors from VWP countries, specified arsenic Japan and South Korea, would beryllium exempt from nan other fee.

Even though it is an add-on to different existing visa costs, this interest is apt to make it much costly for group to get a visa to travel to nan U.S. Immigration experts statement that, though nan interest whitethorn beryllium reimbursable successful immoderate situations, nan refund process whitethorn beryllium analyzable and slow. “I’d alternatively it beryllium considered a ‘bonus’ if they do get their refund,” said Steven A. Brown, who advises travelers not to count connected getting their money back.

Refund Mechanism and Uncertainty Regarding nan Enforcement

The US authorities person said if nan visa holder fulfills nan position of their visa “they will person a refund for nan Visa Integrity Fee astatine nan extremity of their sojourn to nan US.” This includes “departure from nan USA connected time, pinch nary unauthorized employment incurred during nan visit.” But experts pass that, pinch astir U.S. visas valid for galore years, and argumentation rollout dragging, nan refund process is apt to beryllium time-consuming. The Congressional Budget Office, successful fact, has projected that fewer group will beryllium capable to declare reimbursements, adding to nan disorder for travelers.

Presently, location has not been immoderate charismatic commencement day announced of nan preamble of nan Visa Integrity Fee. And though nan argumentation is connected nan books, nan Department of Homeland Security has explained that it needs to coordinate pinch different national entities earlier it tin commencement collecting these fees. There are besides remaining questions astir what agency would process nan interest — pinch it unclear whether location will beryllium a processing powerfulness successful nan hands of nan DHS aliases nan U.S. State Department.

What Was The Reason For The Introduction Of The Visa Integrity Fee?

The U.S. authorities has clarified that nan Visa Integrity Fee will discourage visa overstay and salary for migration enforcement. About 42% of undocumented immigrants successful nan U.S. are estimated to person entered nan state legally and past overstayed their visas, CNBC reported. The U.S. management expects nan caller levy could forestall visa overstays, which facilitated nan notorious migration problems.

The Visa Integrity Fee will make it a small spot harder for Filipino visitors to recreation to nan U.S. Optional P14,000 costs For several, P14,000 much mightiness move them disconnected from traveling, much truthful connected leisure travel. When connected apical of nan costly visa applications 1 now has to salary different fee, imaginable visitors whitethorn beryllium much inclined to bent connected to their American Dream astatine home.

Spontaneous tripsPlanning U.S. Embassy Announcements

Filipino visitors intending to recreation nan U.S. should proceed to show nan latest updates coming from nan embassy of nan U.S. Although it’s not clear erstwhile nan Visa Integrity Fee will spell into effect, travelers should beryllium alert of nan added disbursal and facet that into erstwhile they take to use for a visa.

Although this caller interest whitethorn consciousness for illustration unwarranted reddish tape, it’s important to retrieve that nan U.S. government’s volition is to summation nan integrity of nan visa process and, by extension, nan levels of forbidden immigration. Even if this other complaint is simply a insignificant inconvenience for group who want to get distant aliases adds up to a superior drag, though unclear astatine this stage. For nan clip being, travelers are encouraged to support an oculus connected nan business and scheme accordingly.

In short: Expect nan caller fee

It is, however, an different added disbursal that Filipino visitors looking to sojourn loved ones aliases research nan U.S. needs to see erstwhile readying travel. While it whitethorn look for illustration 1 much bureaucratic hurdle, pinch knowledge and preparation, you tin make your measurement done this caller request pinch ease. Though it whitethorn adhd different measurement to an already convoluted visa process, knowing nan interest and really it operates tin return immoderate of nan accent retired of it.