New U.S. visa integrity fee to affect some travellers including from Canada
Some people travelling to the United States from countries including Canada will have to pay a 'visa integrity fee' of US$250, but an immigration lawyer says most Canadian citizens won't be affected.
'This one won't hit Canadian citizens too hard, and they can continue to enter the United States as usual,' Rosanna Berardi, managing partner of Berardi Immigration Law, in Buffalo, N.Y., said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Monday, noting Canadian citizens generally just need their passport to enter the U.S. 'Ninety-nine per cent of Canadian citizens are visa exempt. ... Those individuals will not have to pay the new visa integrity fee, unless they are investors or fiancés of U.S. citizens.'
The visa integrity fee will apply to Canadian permanent residents entering the U.S. both by land and air who are not American citizens or who were not born from Visa Waiver Program countries, Berardi added. People who have a valid Electronic System for Travel Authorization through the Visa Waiver Program can stay in the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa, according to the U.S. government's website.
The fee is part of the Trump administration's spending legislation called the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' which became law on July 4. The U.S. government didn't state when the fee would go into effect.
The US$250 fee would be for the current federal fiscal year, the act states. It may be adjusted annually for inflation and won't be waived or reduced, according to the act.
Visitors to the U.S. may be reimbursed for the fee after their non-immigrant visa expires under certain conditions, the act states. For instance, people may get their money back if they followed all conditions under the visa, such as not accepting unauthorized employment.
When asked for more details about the new fee on Monday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wrote in an email: 'President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill provides the necessary policies and resources to restore integrity in our nation's immigration system. The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation.'
A U.S. State Department spokesperson wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Monday that the fee is part of the Trump administration's efforts to help strengthen immigration enforcement, deter visa overstays and fund border security.
'We will provide more information regarding the implementation and impact of the law for the Department of State as soon as practicable,' a spokesperson wrote. 'All updates will be posted to our visa information page at travel.state.gov.'
Global Affairs Canada didn't immediately respond to CTVNews.ca's request for comment and more information.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Edmonton Journal
18 minutes ago
- Edmonton Journal
Trump's tariff threats against Canada face legal hurdles ahead of August deadline
Article content Donald Trump's plan to realign global trade faces its latest legal barrier this week in a federal appeals court — and Canada is bracing for the U.S. president to follow through on his threat to impose higher tariffs. Article content While Trump set an Aug. 1 deadline for countries to make trade deals with the United States, the president's ultimatum has so far resulted in only a handful of frameworks for trade agreements. Article content Article content Article content Deals have been announced for Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and the United Kingdom — but Trump indicated last week that an agreement with Canada is far from complete. Article content Trump sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney threatening to impose 35 per cent tariffs if Canada doesn't make a trade deal by the deadline. The White House has said those duties would not apply to goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade. Article content 'We'll use all the time that's necessary,' Carney said last week. Article content Article content Countries around the world will also be watching as Trump's use of a national security statute to hit nations with tariffs faces scrutiny in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Article content Article content The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in May that Trump does not have the authority to wield tariffs on nearly every country through the use of the International Economic Emergency Powers Act of 1977. Article content Article content The act, usually referred to by the acronym IEEPA, gives the U.S. president authority to control economic transactions after declaring an emergency. No previous president had ever used it for tariffs and the U.S. Constitution gives power over taxes and tariffs to Congress. Article content The Trump administration quickly appealed the lower court's ruling on the so-called 'Liberation Day' and fentanyl-related tariffs and arguments are set to be heard in the appeal court on Thursday. Article content The hearing combines two different cases that were pushing against Trump's tariffs. One involves five American small businesses arguing specifically against Trump's worldwide tariffs, and the other came from 12 states pushing back on both the 'Liberation Day' duties and the fentanyl-related tariffs


CTV News
18 minutes ago
- CTV News
Massive Montreal art hub's future uncertain
Montreal artists and gallerists are concerned as the Belgo building, a major hub for art, is for sale. Andrés Duran has long had an eye for art. 'Since I was in university I was coming to visit galleries and exhibitions,' he says. After studying art history and working in a Westmount gallery, Duran decided to open one of his own. He opened Duran Contemporain and has been renting a space in Montreal's Belgo building since November of last year. 'That was one of the few spaces that was available and manageable for my very small operation,' the gallery owner and director says. Duran Contemporain The Duran Contemporain exhibition hall in the Belgo building. (Anastasia Dextrene/CTV News) Duran prides himself on curating works that suit his 'intimate and cozy' gallery space. Its L-shaped layout allows him to run multiple exhibits, he says, as he helps emerging Montreal artists launch their careers. While reflecting on the growth of Montreal artist Tuan Vu, at first, 'we weren't able to sell one painting,' the gallerist says. 'Then we did the art fair in Montreal. We sold the paintings we had there, went back to the gallery and sold everything, like within one week,' he added. There could be fewer stories like this one, as the Belgo building is up for sale. With more than 25 galleries, dance studios and offices, the building at 372 Sainte-Catherine St. West, built in 1913, is one of the largest arts hubs in Canada. However, tenants fear a change in ownership could push them out with an increase in rent. Duran says his current rent is seven times less than what he used to pay for his gallery's previous location on Sherbrooke Street. 'It can mean life or death for a gallery,' he says. Despite concerns, Avison Young, the real estate company handling the sale, wants tenants to be reassured. They say current leases will be honoured. 'The cultural aspect cannot be negated. We are in the entrance to the Quartier des Spectacles and so it plays into why this building is occupied. [...] We wholeheartedly believe that the right type of buyer understands that,' executive vice-president Mark Sinnett told CTV.


CTV News
25 minutes ago
- CTV News
U.S. says tariff deadline of Aug 1 is firm, no extensions
U.S. President Donald Trump listens to members of the media after he arrived at Prestwick Airport in Ayrshire, Scotland, Friday, July 25, 2025.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) WASHINGTON — The U.S. deadline of August 1 for imposing tariffs on its trading partners is firm and there will be no extensions, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday. 'So no extensions, no more grace periods. August 1, the tariffs are set. They'll go into place. Customs will start collecting the money, and off we go,' Lutnick told 'Fox News Sunday.' After the levies kick in, U.S. President Donald Trump -- who was negotiating Sunday in Scotland with European Union officials -- is still willing to keep talking, Lutnick said. Of the Europeans, Lutnick said, 'You know they're hoping they make a deal, and it's up to President Trump, who's the leader of this negotiating table. We set the table.' So far five countries have struck deals with the Trump administration ahead of the Friday deadline as it tries to overhaul the global system of largely free trade by slapping tariffs on countries that the United States deems as engaging in unfair practices. These five are Britain, Vietnam, Indonesia the Philippines, and Japan. The levies they accepted are often higher than the new base rate of 10 percent that the United States has applied to most countries since April. But they are far below the levels the Trump administration threatened to impose if no deal were reached. AFP