TRAVELERS heading to the US may end up having to pay an extra charge before stepping foot into the country.
It could end up costing travelers a fee of $250 but this cost has not been fixed.
And, there is a chance that the cost could be greater than $250, as reported by CNBC.
The charge is known as a “visa integrity fee” but it’s not yet known when will it come into force.
Officials are being tight-lipped about the measure but it’s set to come in during the US government’s 2025 fiscal year.
The new fiscal year starts on October 1.
Travelers who require a non-immigrant visa will have to pay the additional fee.
And, the charge will be paid at the moment the travel document is issued.
Homeland Security chiefs have told travelers that they could get the $250 fee reimbursed.
However, there are no guarantees.
The US has a series of visa categories ranging from those who travel to the country as a visitor, to students and media.
The baseline non-petition-based non immigrant visa costs $185.
The $250 charge would be on top of the standard charge.
However, visas for temporary workers, athletes, and religious workers costs $205.
Tourists have been left stunned by news of the charge.
“I don’t think it’s right,” Dalia Rios told the CBS affiliate KVEO-TV.
Mexican business owner Gerardo Valdez said traveling to the US would become more expensive as a result.
He didn’t rule out that tourists might start looking for alternative locations to explore.
Additional visa charges are not just the only travel measure that has come or is set to come into effect.
RULE SHAKEUP
Earlier this month, Homeland Security bosses announced travelers do not have to take their shoes off during the security process.
The rule has been in force since 2006.
It was brought in around five years as part of the response to the shoe bomber incident.
Richard Reid’s footwear was packed full of explosives on board an American Airlines plane in 2001.
He tried to detonate the explosives on board a flight that was heading to Miami.
The decision to end the shoes off rule has been widely welcomed, but it has sparked questions about another security program.
TSA PreCheck customers were not required to take off their shoes, but it would set a new subscriber back around $75 for the privilege.
Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security secretary, teased that a change might be on the horizon regarding the liquid rules.
The 3-1-1 rule for liquids, pastes, gels, aerosols and creams has been in place for years.
Travelers have been forced to limit their volume to 3.4 ounces.
