Visa Integrity Fee kicks in, making U.S. trips REALLY pricey for some in Canada
For some people in Canada, travelling to the U.S. has become significantly more expensive as the new Visa Integrity Fee takes effect this month.
On Oct. 1, the U.S. government introduced the Visa Integrity Fee, which affects non-citizens in Canada who require a visa to travel to the U.S. Under President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law. Non-immigrants travelling to the U.S. will have to pay a fee of US$250 or C$348.40. However, it’s up to the Secretary of Homeland Security to determine the final amount.
In July, Daily Hive contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the fee.
“President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill provides the necessary policies and resources to restore integrity in our nation’s immigration system,” a spokesperson stated in an email. “The Visa Integrity Fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation.”
Daily Hive has reached out to DHS to confirm the final amount.
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Permanent residents will be affected
The new fee applies to “any alien issued a non-immigrant visa at the time of such issuance.” According to the Government of Canada, Canadian citizens generally don’t require a visitor visa to enter the U.S. However, permanent residents in Canada may require a visa to enter the U.S. and could thereby be subject to the new fee.
Travellers applying for a visitor visa to the U.S. will be required to pay the fee at the time their non-immigrant visa is issued. The new fee would be in addition to the non-refundable US$185 (C$253.25) application fee that applies to visitors.
The Visa Integrity Fee takes effect at the start of fiscal year 2025, which runs from Oct. 1, 2025, to Sept. 30, 2026. If US$250 wasn’t pricey enough, the fee could increase the following fiscal year due to “annual adjustments for inflation.”
And everyone who needs a visa to travel to the U.S. will be required to pay the Visa Integrity Fee, with no waivers or discounts. However, according to the bill, visitors in the U.S. could get reimbursed if they didn’t accept unauthorized employment or didn’t overstay. They’re also eligible for reimbursement if they were granted an extension or became a U.S. permanent resident.
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The Visa Integrity Fee is one of many changes the U.S. announced this year.
To track overstays, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that it is testing facial biometrics at several land borders. As of April 11, Canadians planning to stay in the U.S. for longer than 30 days are required to complete an “alien registration form,” with some individuals also being required to undergo fingerprinting.
On July 8, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that passengers travelling through domestic airports no longer have to remove their shoes when passing through security.
As Canadians cancelled trips to the U.S., politicians such as California Governor Gavin Newsom and Burlington, Vermont, City Councillor Becca Brown McKnight openly criticized Trump’s policies and introduced initiatives to attract Canadian tourists. Recently, Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser travelled to Canada to promote tourism in his state.
“I [didn’t] realize what the impact has been until I got here, but the pushback from the president’s comments about the 51st state, the tariffs, have really left a bad taste in Canadians’ mouths,” he said during an interview with FOX 8 Live.
“It would really be nice if the president could issue an apology about the 51st state. I think that would go a long way. At least many of the people up here believe it would.”
With files from Isabelle Docto