NEW DELHI, Aug 30: The newest US travel visa fee threatens travel from India, where visits are down 2.4% so far this year, driven by a near 18% drop in students.
A new $250 “visa integrity fee” imposed on travellers to the United States puts more pressure on a travel industry reeling under US President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
Overseas travel to the US fell 3.1% year-on-year to 19.2 million visitors in July 2025, according to US government data. It was the fifth month of decline this year, defying expectations that 2025 would see annual inbound visitors finally surpass the pre-pandemic level of 79.4 million.
The new visa fee, set to go into effect on 1 October, adds an additional hurdle for travellers 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.
“Any friction we add to the traveller experience is going to cut travel volumes by some amount,” some global travel management officials said. “As the summer ends, this will become a more pressing issue, and we will have to factor the fees into travel budgets and documents.”
International visitors spending in the US is projected to fall below $169 billion this year, down from $181 billion in 2024, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council. The visa fee reinforces a bleak perception of the US under Trump, whose immigration policies, cuts to foreign aid and sweeping tariffs have eroded America’s appeal as a destination—even with major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on the horizon.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration proposed government regulation that aims to tighten the duration of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media.
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics consultancy, forecast in December 2024 that overseas travel to the US would increase more than 10% year-over-year in 2025. Instead, it is on track to fall 3%, experts said. We see it as a sustained setback, and we anticipate much of it is in place throughout the administration,” he said.
(Manas Dasgupta)