The $250 visa integrity fee is a new charge created by Public Law 119-21 that applies to almost every nonimmigrant visa issuance, from H-1B specialty workers and L-1 transferees to F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and B-1/B-2 business and tourist visitors. It has to be paid as a separate payment on top of any other filing fees, it cannot be waived, and starting in fiscal year 2026 the amount adjusts each year for inflation.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule
What the Fee Is
Public Law 119-21, commonly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, established the visa integrity fee at $250. The charge reaches broadly across nonimmigrant classifications rather than singling out a few employment categories. That includes H-1B specialty occupation workers, L-1 intracompany transferees, O-1 individuals with extraordinary ability, F-1 and J-1 students and exchange visitors, and B-1/B-2 business and tourist visitors.
Two features of the fee matter for anyone planning a filing. First, the Department of Homeland Security has authority to set the fee higher through regulation. Second, beginning in fiscal year 2026 the fee adjusts annually based on the Consumer Price Index, so the amount you pay next year may not be the amount you pay this year. Check the current G-1055 fee schedule before every filing.
How It Differs From the Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee
The visa integrity fee is easy to confuse with the older Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee, but they are separate charges with different scopes. The Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee is $500 on H-1B and L-1 petitions seeking initial status or a change of employer, and $150 on H-2B petitions.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1184 – Admission of Nonimmigrants It applies only to those specific employer petitions, only to principal workers (not spouses or children), and it is not owed on every subsequent filing for the same worker in the same classification.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. H and L Filing Fees for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
The visa integrity fee is different in each of those respects. It applies to nonimmigrant visa issuances across the board, not just H, L, and H-2B employer petitions. Many petitioners filing employment-based cases will owe both, and both have to appear in the filing package.
How to Pay the Fee
Fees required under Public Law 119-21, including the visa integrity fee, must be submitted as a separate payment from the base filing fee.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule Bundling the $250 into one lump payment with the I-129 filing fee is a common way to get a petition rejected before it is ever reviewed.
USCIS no longer accepts personal or business checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks for paper-filed forms unless the filer qualifies for a specific exemption.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees For paper filings, the two standard payment methods are:
- Credit, debit, or prepaid card, authorized by completing Form G-1450 and placing it on top of the petition package. The card must be issued by a U.S. bank.5USCIS. Authorization for Credit Card Transactions
- Electronic funds transfer from a U.S. bank account, authorized by completing Form G-1650.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
A narrow exemption lets you pay by check if you lack access to banking services or electronic payment systems, or if electronic payment would cause undue hardship. Claim it by filing Form G-1651.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
What Happens If the Fee Is Wrong or Missing
USCIS rejects petitions submitted with incorrect fees outright. The agency will not process the petition or send a request for the balance.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule For a routine filing that means lost time. During H-1B cap season, when filing windows are tight, a rejection over a $250 payment can cost the entire opportunity for the year.
When the fees are correct and the petition is accepted, USCIS issues Form I-797C as confirmation of receipt.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action All fees paid to USCIS are non-refundable regardless of whether the petition is later approved or denied. The only exception is when USCIS itself makes an error that leads to an inappropriate filing or collects the wrong amount.
Budgeting for the Fee and Its Annual Adjustment
The $250 is a fixed floor for now, but it is not a fixed ceiling. Two mechanisms can move it upward: the annual Consumer Price Index adjustment that begins in fiscal year 2026, and the Department of Homeland Security’s regulatory authority to raise the amount above the CPI-adjusted figure. If you are budgeting for a filing that will happen months from now, or planning a hiring cycle that runs across a fiscal year boundary, price against the current published schedule rather than the $250 statutory number.
The fee also stacks on top of everything else a nonimmigrant filing already costs, including base I-129 filing fees, the Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee where it applies, ACWIA training fees on H-1B petitions, and premium processing when used. The visa integrity fee does not replace any of those. It is an additional line item that has to clear as its own payment for the package to be accepted.