Irish people travelling to the US for employment or study to face Trump's new $250 visa fee
The proposed fee of $250 dollars will be levied alongside visitors' other visa related costs. It is reported to take effect from 1 October.
Globally, the fee will apply to almost all nonimmigrant visa categories: tourist and business visas, work visas, student, and exchange.
Irish nationals, however, are among a list of countries that will mainly avoid this cost. Ireland is a designated Visa Waiver Program country – essentially a country where visas are not required for the majority of nonimmigrant travel to the US.
Advertisement
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables most citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
Travellers from VWP countries must have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) approval prior to travel and meet certain requirements: mainly the reason for travel and not having been either a national, resident, or visitor to
a list of named countries.
Travel for the purposes of employment, credited study, permanent residence, or work as a journalist or in media is not permitted under the VWP and requires a visa that will be subject to the new fee. The J1 visa will also have this additional cost when implemented.
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Dublin said in a statement to
The Journal
, 'The Trump Administration is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.
'Congress enacted the Visa Integrity Fee as part of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' to support the administration's priorities of strengthening immigration enforcement, deterring visa overstays, and funding border security.
'The Department of Homeland Security is charged with implementing this fee. Any updates to fees will be posted to our visa information page at travel.state.gov.'
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
22 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Intervening on 'potential monopoly' in car parking at Dublin Airport a highlight for watchdog
Investigations into the Oasis ticket debacle, actions against retailers Temu and Shein, and dawn raids of home alarm companies were among the notable actions Ireland's consumer watchdog said it took last year. In its annual report, the Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (CCPC) said that 2024 marked a significant milestone as it marked its 10th anniversary with 44,000 contacts to its helpline aimed at supporting Irish consumers. 'Our annual report highlights the vital role the CCPC plays across all sectors of the economy, from enforcing consumer law on retail pricing to advocating proactively for reforming the legal sector to better serve the interests of Irish businesses and consumers,' chairperson Brian McHugh said. 'As we look ahead, it is clear that the CCPC's work is more important than ever. Our vision for open and competitive markets, where consumers are protected and businesses actively compete, remains at the heart of everything we do.' It said that among its highlights was its successful intervention to prevent a 'potential monopoly' in car parking in Dublin Airport, when it blocked DAA's attempted purchase of the former Quickpark site. The watchdog suggested it stopped the deal after finding it would lead to higher prices, less choice, and lower service quality for consumers, while it facilitated a new entrant into the car parking market at the airport. Furthermore, it said that recent analysis it has conducted shows evidence that consumers have benefitted from increased competition for car parking business at the airport. While DAA itself said the move would be bad for consumers, it did not appeal the CCPC's decision. Unsafe products Elsewhere, the CCPC said over 178,000 unsafe products were either removed or prevented from reaching the Irish market — including 10,000 babies' sleepsuits and over 2,400 toy construction trucks. It also initiated 200 inspections, issued 47 fixed penalty notices, and gave 23 compliance notices to businesses suspected of breaching their obligations. Prosecutions were successfully brought against five retailers — including Tesco Ireland, which pleaded guilty to two sample counts of failing to comply with the law in how they displayed the price of products offered on promotion to Tesco Clubcard holders. As well as the dawn raids on two premises as part of an ongoing cartel-related investigation in the home alarm industry, the watchdog said it also assisted its Italian counterparts through an unannounced search of Ryanair's headquarters in Dublin as part of an ongoing Italian competition law probe. Regarding tickets for the landmark Oasis concerts in Dublin next month, the watchdog said it received over 100 contacts to its helpline over the situation where fans faced huge prices to varying degrees for tickets as a result of 'dynamic pricing' being used by Ticketmaster. On foot of this, it said it launched an investigation into Ticketmaster Ireland and its handling of the sale of Oasis tickets last year. Mr McHugh added: 'Following a year of notable achievements and a decade of progress, our focus remains on delivering transparent outcomes, empowering consumers with knowledge of their rights, and being a leading voice for competition and consumer welfare across Ireland.'
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Calls for more safeguards on deployment of Irish troops
A cross-party group of TDs and senators has recommended additional safeguards on the deployment of Irish troops abroad including a legal review by an independent body. The Oireachtas Committee on Defence and National Security has been conducting pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill which would give effect to the removal of the Triple Lock which governs the deployment of defence forces personnel overseas. The Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 also proposes to increase the number of troops that can be deployed overseas without a Dáil vote from 12 to 50. In its report published today, the Oireachtas Committee makes 27 recommendations, however it does not issue a view on whether the Triple Lock should be removed or retained. Under existing rules, any foreign deployment of 12 or more Irish Defence Forces personnel can only take place when it has been approved by the Dáil, the Government and has received a United Nations mandate. The Government is seeking to remove the UN approval for an operation as it has argued that this means that the UN Security Council has a veto on Irish troop deployment. Most opposition parties have strongly opposed the move. The report also calls for an enhanced role for the Oireachtas and the Committee on Defence and National Security specifically in both the approval and scrutiny of Irish overseas deployments with international forces. This includes a regular renewal of mission mandates, requiring both Government and Dáil approval, as well as a formal annual review by the Committee on Defence and National Security of all Irish deployments with international forces. Committee chairperson Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh said there was direct conflict between the opposition members of the Committee and Government members on the question of a link between the Triple Lock and Irish neutrality. "The Opposition were very concerned about the impact that removal of the Triple Lock on Irish neutrality while Government parties thought it wouldn't have any impact." She also criticised the amount of time allocated for pre-legislative scrutiny. The Bill will go to the Dáil and Seanad in the Autumn.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Committee calls for clarity on Government proposals to change triple lock
Further safeguards and clarity are needed in the Government's draft laws to change Ireland's system for deploying troops abroad, a committee has recommended. The Joint Committee on Defence and National Security published a report into the Government's proposals to change the 'triple lock', which is the requirement for Government, Dail and UN approval to send more than 12 Irish soldiers overseas. The main change would see the need for formal UN approval for such missions removed and replaced with a stipulation that the Defence Forces deployment would be in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. Irish troops on parade at Camp Shamrock near the border with Lebanon and Israel (Niall Carson/PA) The Government has argued this will prevent the permanent members of the UN Security Council — Russia, China, the UK, the US and France — from vetoing Irish peacekeeping missions. Critics see it as an erosion of Irish neutrality and a move towards European militarisation. The Government's Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 also looks to expand on the basis for Irish soldiers being dispatched outside the State. In its report published on Wednesday, the committee makes 27 recommendations asking for further safeguards or clarity on the draft changes. This includes a call to define what 'strengthening international security' means in the context of the Bill. It said that the legislation should specify that the phrase will not include the taking part in missions where cluster munitions or anti-personnel mines are used. 'The Joint Committee recommends that the legislation potentially explore definitions for how the terms 'conflict prevention' and 'strengthening international security' will be interpreted in Ireland and outline clear parameters and safeguards for deployment in these cases,' it said. It also recommended that 'at minimum' an independent legal review should be carried out before Irish troops are deployed abroad with an international force. The findings should be made available to Oireachtas members, and a version 'redacted where necessary' is made public. The committee also recommends that the proposals to increase the number of Irish troops allowed to be deployed without Dail approval from 12 to 50, should include 'at a minimum, oversight provisions' from two committees: defence and foreign affairs. Ireland has been taking part in UN peacekeeping missions since 1958 and the triple lock has been in place since 1960.
