Will New $250 Visa Integrity Fee Discourage Students from Studying in the US?

In a latest move, the United States of America has introduced a 250 dollar visa integrity fee for travelers from countries that are not in the visa waiver program. It will be effective from October 1. With less than one month left to the day, this has raised concerns in both the education and travel sectors. The stricter immigration measures have already resulted in a decline in international arrivals.

US Visa Integrity Fee Implementation

After a rise of 250 dollars, the total cost will rise to 442 dollars (around Rs 38,000). With this move, the most affected countries will be India, China, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.Gabe Rizzi, president of Altour, a global travel management company, told Reuters that any friction we add to the traveler experience is going to cut travel volumes by some amount. He said that with summer ending in a few days, this will become a more pressing issue, and we’ll have to factor the fees into travel budgets and documentation.

Will Students Rethink Going to the US?

There is no debate on this: this change can make the US less welcoming as a study destination. The students studying abroad are already burdened with high tuition fees and living costs. While other countries, including Canada and Australia, are doing their best to attract global talent, the US is making students feel like customers.

Other than this, analysts predict that this policy has the potential to reshape international travel patterns. It will only put additional pressure on hotels.

In August, the United States Department of State reportedly revoked over 6,000 international student visas after these students were found to be in violation of US laws and had also overstayed their visas, BBC News reported. This move came amid US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration numbers in the country.