Now, Kenya Conjoins With Nigeria, South Africa, India, Brazil, And Other Nations To Pay Extra For U.s. Visas: Here’s What You Need To Know Before Planning Your Trip

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Kenyan citizens, on pinch travelers from a scope of countries including Nigeria, South Africa, India, Brazil, and others, will soon look a important summation successful U.S. visa exertion costs. The preamble of nan caller “visa integrity fee,” group to return effect from October 2025, will require applicants to salary an further $250 (approximately Sh32,250) connected apical of nan existing visa fees. This alteration is portion of nan broader “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” passed by nan U.S. government, which is expected to effect non-immigrant visa applicants crossed nan globe.

Understanding nan New U.S. Visa Integrity Fee

All non-immigrant visa categories will beryllium taxable to nan visa integrity interest successful nan caller legislation. This applies to B1/B2 visas and others, including F1 student visas, J1 visitant visas, and work-related visas specified arsenic H-1Bs, L-1s and O-1s, arsenic good arsenic their dependents (H-4, F-2 and J-2). For those who usage DHL’s courier work it will beryllium moreover higher, astir $150, according to Tunde Omehin, a Nigerian visa master who provides an study of nan visa hikes for nationals from Kenya, South Africa, India, Brazil, Nigeria and different countries.

For example, nan mean value for B1/B2 visa is presently Sh23,865 ($185), F1 aliases J1 visa will costs astir Sh23,865 ($185). In addition, petition-based worker visas, that is H and L, is costing Sh26,445 ($205). Now pinch nan caller visa integrity fee, these costs are group to spike. For a student who is applying for a U.S. visa, it could now costs much than Sh56,000 wide and for a worker visa applicant, nan costs could magnitude to much than Sh58,695.

Countries Affected by nan Visa Integrity Fee

The caller visa integrity interest will impact each countries that are not portion of nan U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This includes a important number of nations crossed Africa, Asia, Latin America, and nan Middle East. Countries for illustration Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Brazil, and Mexico will beryllium among those required to salary this further fee.

• Africa: Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and different African nations are excluded from nan U.S. Visa Waiver Program, and arsenic such, travelers from these countries will request to salary nan further $250 fee. The caller interest is expected to summation nan financial load connected Kenyan students, workers, and visitors seeking to recreation to nan United States. As Africa remains an important region for nan U.S. successful position of economic, diplomatic, and acquisition relations, this interest whitethorn effect nan travel of travelers from African nations.
• Asia: India, Pakistan, China, and different Asian nations will besides spot an summation successful their U.S. visa exertion fees. India, successful particular, has seen a surge successful visa applications complete nan years owed to its beardown economical maturation and acquisition exchanges pinch nan United States. The caller interest could lead to a diminution successful visa applications arsenic applicants measurement nan added costs. Similarly, Chinese nationals, who often recreation to nan U.S. for business and world purposes, will beryllium impacted by this caller fee.
• Latin America: Countries specified arsenic Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia are likewise excluded from nan U.S. Visa Waiver Program and will beryllium taxable to nan accrued visa fees. Mexico, being a adjacent neighbour to nan U.S., has a precocious number of travelers to nan U.S. each year, particularly for business and tourism. The further costs will apt discourage immoderate Mexican citizens from applying for U.S. visas, perchance affecting tourism and business exchanges betwixt nan 2 countries.
• Middle East: In nan Middle East, nations specified arsenic Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran will besides look nan visa integrity fee. The U.S. has agelong been an important partner for these countries successful position of trade, defense, and education. However, pinch nan preamble of this caller fee, travelers from these nations will person to carnivore nan further cost. This could discourage world and business exchanges, peculiarly for those seeking to study aliases activity successful nan U.S.

How nan Visa Integrity Fee Will Be Charged

The caller visa integrity interest will beryllium charged per individual. This intends that families applying together for U.S. visas will spot their costs summation considerably. The interest will beryllium payable only erstwhile nan visa exertion is approved by a U.S. consulate. This is successful opposition to nan accepted Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee, which is paid upfront earlier nan visa question and reply and is non-refundable.

The visa integrity interest will beryllium collected arsenic portion of nan last steps successful nan visa exertion process. Applicants whose visa applications are denied will not person to salary nan fee. This provides immoderate alleviation to those whose applications are unsuccessful, arsenic they will not incur further financial burdens.

The Potential Impact connected Visa Applicants from Affected Countries

The caller complaint is apt to impact travelers from countries specified arsenic Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and India. The U.S. visa fees will beryllium excessively costly for astir people, including students and skilled professionals.

• Higher Travel Expenses: Paying an further $250 arsenic a interest gives emergence to higher costs for obtaining a U.S. visa. For Kenyan students seeking to be U.S. colleges and universities, nan other costs whitethorn forestall immoderate from moreover applying. Similarly, workers looking for employment successful nan U.S. mightiness struggle to spend higher visa fees. The further weight is apt to make U.S. visas much difficult to obtain, peculiarly for lower-income applicants.
• Financial Impact connected Families: Cost connected a family becomes extensively precocious since exertion to VIF is an individual level transaction. This could deter families from attempting to recreation to nan U.S. for tourism aliases family reunification, particularly arsenic galore are already struggling to make ends meet.
• Potential Drop successful Visa Applications: Higher U.S. visa fees for citizens of targeted nations could consequence successful less applications. And arsenic visa fees increase, others whitethorn determine aliases see different recreation destinations – Europe, Canada wherever visa fees are little successful comparison.

Exemptions from nan Visa Integrity Fee

It is important to statement that travelers from countries included successful nan U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) will not beryllium taxable to nan caller visa integrity fee. Citizens of countries specified arsenic nan United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, and Australia are exempt from this further charge. The Visa Waiver Program allows citizens from these countries to sojourn nan U.S. for tourism aliases business purposes for up to 90 days without nan request for a visa. As a result, nan effect of nan caller interest will chiefly impact travelers from countries that are not portion of nan program.

What’s Next for Affected Visa Applicants?

As nan caller interest comes into effect successful October 2025, travelers from affected countries should hole for nan added cost. U.S. consulates will apt merchandise further accusation connected nan process for paying nan visa integrity fee, and applicants will request to relationship for this further complaint erstwhile budgeting for their visa applications.

Applicants should besides enactment informed astir immoderate imaginable early increases to nan visa integrity fee. Starting successful 2026, nan interest will beryllium adjusted annually successful statement pinch inflation, meaning it could summation further complete time.

Conclusion: A Global Change pinch Local Impacts

The preamble of nan U.S. visa integrity interest represents a important displacement successful nan visa exertion process for travelers from countries for illustration Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Brazil, and galore others. As nan interest applies to each non-immigrant visa categories, it will adhd a financial load to those seeking to recreation to nan U.S. for business, study, aliases tourism.

While nan interest is aimed astatine enhancing nan information and integrity of nan U.S. visa system, it could person unintended consequences for world travel, peculiarly for students, workers, and visitors from non-VWP countries. The caller interest will apt lead to reduced visa applications and discourage immoderate from pursuing opportunities successful nan U.S.

As nan U.S. visa argumentation evolves, travelers from affected nations will request to cautiously scheme for these further costs and activity retired nan astir existent accusation connected nan implementation of nan visa integrity fee.