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7NEWS
a minute ago
- 7NEWS
Travellers to the US must pay a new $250 ‘visa integrity fee' — what to know
Visitors to the United States will need to pay a 'visa integrity fee,' according to a provision of the Trump administration's recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The fee applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas to enter, and cannot be waived. However, travellers may also be able to get the fees reimbursed, according to the provision. Details about the new requirement are scant, which has resulted in 'significant challenges and unanswered questions regarding implementation,' a spokesperson from the US Travel Association told CNBC Travel. However, here is what is known thus far. How much is the fee? The fee will be at least $250 ($A383) during the US fiscal year 2025, which runs from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025. However, the secretary of Homeland Security is free to set the fee higher, according to the provision. Thereafter, the visa integrity fee will be adjusted for inflation. Who must pay the new fee? The 'visa integrity fee' applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas, which includes tourists, business travellers and international students. When is the fee paid? The fee is paid when the visa is issued, according to the provision. Thus, visitors whose visa requests are denied will not be charged. Does the fee replace other visa fees? No, the provision states that the new fee is 'in addition to' other fees, including regular visa fees. 'For example, an H-1B worker already paying a $205 application fee may now expect to pay a total of $455 once this fee is in place,' Steven A Brown, a partner at the Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, wrote in a post on his firm's website. Additionally, the fee must be paid on top of a 'Form I-94 fee,' which the One Big Beautiful Bill Act increased from $6 to $24. That fee must be paid by anyone who is required to submit a Form I-94 arrival and departure record, which applies to most travellers. How can travellers get reimbursed? To get their money back, visa holders must comply with the conditions of the visa, which includes 'not accept[ing] unauthorised employment,' and not overstay the visa validity date by more than five days, according to the provision. Reimbursements will be made after the travel visa expires, it says. What isn't known The fee has not yet been implemented, according to Brown. It is not clear when it will begin. 'I believe it would need a regulation, or at least a notice in the Federal Register, regarding implementation on collection,' said Brown. It is also unclear how travellers will pay the fee, the US Travel Association told CNBC. 'The bill directs the DHS Secretary to charge the fee, but DHS does not own the visa application, issuance or renewal process — so where and when would DHS collect the fee?' the spokesperson said. In response to CNBC's enquires, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: 'The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation.' More questions surround how and when the reimbursement process kicks in. Since many visas are valid for several years, the US Congressional Budget Office said it expects 'a small number of people would seek reimbursement.' Moreover, 'CBO expects that the Department of State would need several years to implement a process for providing reimbursements. On that basis, CBO estimates that enacting the provision would increase revenues and decrease the deficit by $28.9 billion over the 2025‑2034 period.' Brown said he is advising clients to treat the fee as nonrefundable. 'If you get it back, great. But it is usually difficult to get money back from the government,' he said. 'I would rather them view it as a 'bonus' if they get the refund.' The purpose of the fee 'President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill provides the necessary policies and resources to restore integrity in our nation's immigration system,' a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNBC. Data shows most visa holders comply with their visa terms. For the fiscal years between 2016 and 2022, between 1 and 2 per cent of nonimmigrant visitors overstayed their visas in the United States, according to the US Congressional Research Service. However, an estimated 42 per cent of the approximately 11 million unauthorised population living in the United States entered the country legally, but overstayed their period of admission, the data shows. Effect on incoming travellers Brown said the visa integrity fee will likely impact B visa holders — or leisure and business travellers — and international students more than other types of travellers. 'For B visa holders, they may not want to add an additional $250 per person to their trip costs,' he said. The new fee, plus the I-94 fee, come as the United States prepares to host several major events in 2026, including the 'America 250' celebration, in honour of the country's 250th anniversary, and parts of the FIFA World Cup. These hurdles are compounded by problems at Brand USA, the destination marketing organisation that promotes inbound travel into the United States, which saw the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slash its funding from $100 million to $20 million. The cuts came after the US Commerce Department fired nearly half of Brand USA's board members in April. In a statement, Fred Dixon, the organisation's president and CEO, said it is 'disappointed' with the cuts yet hopeful that the funds will be restored for the fiscal year 2026. 'We remain focused on growing legitimate international inbound travel and the vital boost it provides to the US economy,' he said. Ahead of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, US Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman praised the bill's contributions to US infrastructure, air traffic control and border security. But, he added: 'The smart investments in the travel process make foolish new fees on foreign visitors and reductions to Brand USA, America's promotion arm, that much harder to swallow.'
Sydney Morning Herald
13 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Couple outbid other first home buyers for ‘glam' $1.46m Petersham pad
A first home buyer couple from the inner city paid $1.46 million at auction on Saturday for a dual-level apartment in Petersham. The two-bedroom property at 24/301-313 Stanmore Road was guided at $1.2 million and described as 'glamorous' by Adrian William Real Estate's Namir Mikha. There is a gourmet kitchen, soaring ceilings, skylights and private access to a wraparound terrace with district views. Mikha declined to reveal the reserve. There is no legal requirement for a vendor's reserve to be in line with their property's price guide. There were eight registered bidders and six took part. Bidding was fast, opening at $1.1 million and rising in varying increments. The property was one of 678 scheduled to go to auction in Sydney this week. By evening, Domain Group recorded a preliminary auction clearance rate of 71.2 per cent from 437 reported results throughout the week, while 75 auctions were withdrawn. Withdrawn auctions are counted as unsold properties when calculating the clearance rate. The buyers had a family member bid on their behalf. They outbid other first home buyers from all over Sydney. The vendor had leased out the property. Records show it last sold for $1,060,000 in 2017. Mikha said buyers were drawn to the bright interiors, elevated living area, northeast-facing balcony and private terrace. The apartment is the only one in the block to have access to the terrace.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Labor to act on key cost-of-living promises in first week of parliament
Australians are weeks away from receiving a 20 per cent cut to their student debt, with Labor vowing to scrap HECS and HELP debt as the government's first priority once parliament resumes, following the government's landslide election victory. The changes will be applied to all student debts as they on June 1, 2025, with the average HELP debt of $27,600 set to receive a reduction of about $5520. The HECS reform will also reduce the repayment threshold for debts from $56,156 to $67,000. Rates of repayments will also be lowered then current levels, with someone on $70,000 paying $1300. Despite the Coalition not supporting the measure during the campaign, education spokesman Jonno Duniam said he expected the Bill to 'pass' parliament. Speaking to the ABC on Sunday, he said that while the legislation would still need to go through party room and shadow cabinet, he believed 'the Australian people spoke pretty clearly … around the policies the Labor Party took,' adding the party was 'not really in the business of standing in the way of cost of living relief'. Labor will also seek to introduce its cost-of-living election promises, including the $150 energy rebate top up, the 30 per cent discount on home batteries, paid prac measures for student nurses, teachers, social workers and midwives, plus a $10,000 cash bonus for trainee builders who finish their construction apprenticeship. It will also begin work on legislating a two-week increase for Government Paid Parental Leave and laws to add superannuation on government paid parental leave, while also increasing the Super Guarantee to 12 per cent. Education Minister Jason Clare will also use the first sitting week to introduce Bills to tighten protection settings in childcare centres, including provision to allow anti-fraud officers to inspect centres with a warrant or police supervision. The Coalition has also said it's open to working with the government to get the Commonwealth to pull funding on centres which fail to meet safety standards after a Victorian former childcare worker Joshua Brown was hit with more than 70 child abuse charges. While Labor holds a thumping 94-seat majority, out of a total 150 seats, in the Lower House, the government will still need to negotiate with either the Greens (which hold 10 seats), the Coalition's 27 senators, or the 10-member crossbench. After an election bloodbath, the Coalition will return with a significantly reduced 43 seats, while the Greens have been reduced to a single seat. Ahead of the official opening of the 48th parliament, Sussan Ley warned that while the Coalition would 'provide a constructive path for any legislation that makes Australia stronger,' it's 'good will is not a blank cheque'. As it stands, the opposition has already vowed to fight Labor's proposed superannuation tax on balances over $3m, with the Coalition also set to eye accidentally released treasury advice to Jim Chalmers which urged him to consider new taxes to increase the budget outlook. 'Anthony Albanese is yet to explain why his departmental officials secretly advised the Treasurer that Labor would need to raise taxes on Australians,' the Opposition Leader said. 'We will seek answers on behalf of Australian taxpayers, not one of whom should face a new tax that they didn't vote for.' It will also continue to attack Labor over its handling of Australia-US relations, following further fallout from Donald Trump's tariff trade war, with Anthony Albanese yet to secure a meeting with the US President. Originally published as Labor to act on key cost-of-living promises like 20pc HELP debt wipe-out, paid prac, $150 energy rebate
