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New Delhi: Since US President Donald Trump came back to power in 2024, his administration has pushed with renewed vigour to implement stricter immigration laws, and for that, the government has brought about several changes to its visa rules. In this article, we will take a look at the five most significant updates affecting tourists, students, and those who are planning to live in the US in future.
The US State Department has launched a new pilot program which mandates some tourists and business visa applicants to file a bond of $5,000 to $15,000 for the US visa eligibility. This is for people from countries with weak internal document controls and high visa overstay rates. Starting from August 20, the new rule aims to stop visa violations. Depending on each person's case, there can be a waiver of the bond. Once the policy is implemented, the US government will reveal the list of targeted countries, with people from Zambia and Malawi being the first.
From 2026, every non-immigrant visa applicant will have to pay a Visa Integrity Fee of $250. Inflation is being shown as a reason behind this hike, and for those with timely exit or proper adjustment of status, this will become a refundable security deposit. Only diplomatic visa holders of the A and G categories are exempt from this rule. This fee comes on top of the $185 cost of the non-immigrant visa itself. Also, it will not apply to most people from Canada or to visitors covered by the US visa-waiver program.
The full form of USCIS is United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Now, it has issued fresh rules to put an end to fake green card petitions based on marriage. Implemented from August 1, 2025, the new rules mandate stronger proof of legitimate relationships, stricter reviews of immigration history and earlier petitions, mandatory in-person interviews for more couples and clarification that approved petitions won't protect a person from removal if there are grounds of deportation.
Thanks to Donald Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act", there are several non-waivable travel fees on top of the Integrity Fee. Like the I-94 fee of $24 for all non-immigrant visa holders, the ESTA fee of $13 for users of the Visa Waiver Program, and the EVUS fee of $30 for Chinese citizens with 10-year B-1/B-2 visas, burning a hole in the pocket of those coming from developing countries.
The US Department of State, from September 2 this year, has made in-person visa interviews mandatory for almost every non-immigrant visa applicant, including children under 14 and those aged above 79 who were previously exempted from this rule. Only diplomatic and official visa categories of A-1, A-2, G-1 through G-4, NATO, TECRO, and some others are exempted from this rule. Even if the waiver criteria are met, consular officers can call for interviews on a case-by-case basis.
The new rules have been criticised for having the potential to discourage those applicants who are genuine. Also, it will disproportionately increase costs and put additional pressure on legal immigrants. For those Indians applying for a US tourist or US business visa, the cost will almost triple from around $185 (Rs 15,855) to about $472 (Rs 40,456).
