The Trump administration is implementing a new $250 'visa integrity fee' on travelers arriving in the United States as part of a continued immigration crackdown.
The new visa fee, set to go into effect on October 1, adds an additional hurdle for travelers from non-visa waiver countries like Mexico, Argentina, India, Brazil and China.
The extra charge raises the total visa cost to $442, one of the highest visitor fees in the world, according to the US Travel Association.
Tourists would be expected to pay the one-off cost at the time their visa is issued. It was brought in under the umbrella of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Act.
But the move could be devastating to the ailing tourism sector, which is already feeling the pressure of President Donald Trump's policies.
