US visa cost calculator
Headlines say a US visa now costs "$250 more." The truth in 2026 is quieter: that Visa Integrity Fee is law but is not being collected yet. This adds up what you actually pay today — the MRV application fee, plus the SEVIS fee if you're a student — per applicant, and shows exactly what the $250 will add if and when it starts.
Your visa cost
Fee breakdown
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Worked examples
A Mexican family of three applying for tourist (B-1/B-2) visas
What you pay today: $555
Three B-1/B-2 visas cost $555 today — the $185 MRV fee times three. There is no SEVIS fee for visitor visas.
ⓘ The $250 Visa Integrity Fee is law but not being collected yet. If it starts, it would add $750 (3 × $250), bringing this family to $1,305.
Fee breakdown
- MRV application fee (B-1/B-2): $185 × 3 = $555
- SEVIS fee: not applicable to visitor visas
- Total you pay today: $555
- Visa Integrity Fee ($250 × 3), if/when collected: +$750 → $1,305
One F-1 student
What you pay today: $535
An F-1 student pays $535 today: the $185 MRV fee plus the $350 I-901 SEVIS fee, paid online before the interview.
ⓘ The $250 fee, if collected, would bring this to $785.
Fee breakdown
- MRV application fee (F-1/M-1): $185
- I-901 SEVIS fee (F/M): $350
- Total you pay today: $535
- Visa Integrity Fee ($250), if/when collected: +$250 → $785
An H-1B worker (petition-based)
What you pay today: $205
The applicant's consular cost for a petition-based work visa is the $205 MRV fee. The large USCIS petition fees (Form I-129 and add-ons) are paid earlier by the employer and are not part of your visa appointment.
Fee breakdown
- MRV application fee (petition-based): $205
- Employer's USCIS petition fees (I-129, etc.): separate — not included
- Total you pay today: $205
Examples are recomputed whenever the underlying fees or the integrity-fee status change; the date above is the last recompute.
What a US visa really costs & data sources
This adds up the applicant-side cost of a US nonimmigrant visa in 2026. Every applicant pays the MRV application fee: $185 for visitor (B-1/B-2), student (F/M) and exchange (J) visas, and $205 for petition-based work visas (H, L, O, E, TN, P, Q). Students and exchange visitors also pay the separate I-901 SEVIS fee online before the interview — $350 for F/M, $220 for most J categories. For petition-based work visas, the big USCIS petition fees (Form I-129 and its surcharges) are paid earlier by the employer and are not part of what you pay at the consulate, so they're excluded here. Nationality-specific reciprocity/issuance fees can apply to some passports and are not included.
The $250 Visa Integrity Fee — the part everyone gets wrong. It was enacted under the One Big Beautiful Bill in July 2025, and headlines treat it as a done deal. It is not being collected. A July 2025 Federal Register notice said it requires cross-agency coordination before it can be implemented; the State Department has said it received no guidance; and there is no confirmed start date. The frequently-cited "October 1, 2025" date was speculation. So this tool shows your real cost today as the headline, and treats the $250 as a clearly-separated "if and when it starts" line — $250 per person, at visa issuance, on most nonimmigrant visas (ESTA/Visa-Waiver travellers and green-card applicants are exempt). It is nominally refundable, but only under strict conditions and through a refund process that does not yet exist — budget it as money you won't get back.
Sources: US State Dept — Visa fees · I-901 SEVIS fee · Federal Register — Visa Integrity Fee
Frequently asked questions
Is the $250 visa integrity fee being charged yet?
No. As of August 2026 it is enacted but not collected — it needs cross-agency implementation that hasn't happened, and no start date is confirmed. Anyone telling you the visa "already costs $250 more" is ahead of the facts.
How much is a US tourist visa in 2026?
$185 per person (the MRV fee). That's the full applicant cost today for a B-1/B-2. If the integrity fee starts, add $250 per person.
Why do students pay more?
F/M students add the $350 I-901 SEVIS fee to the $185 MRV — about $535. J-1 exchange visitors add a $220 SEVIS fee. Both are paid online before the interview.
Who is exempt from the $250 fee?
Travellers using the Visa Waiver Program / ESTA (who don't get a visa stamp) and immigrant / green-card applicants. It targets nonimmigrant visa holders.
Will I get the $250 back?
Only if you follow every visa term, do no unauthorized work, and leave within 5 days of your authorized stay (or get a lawful extension/green card) — and the refund system doesn't exist yet. Treat it as a sunk cost.