WTF: Visiting the USA just got pricier — for some Australians

Thinking of heading to the USA for business, study or a long-term work stint? You’d better brace yourself. Donald Trump might even be reaching into Australian travellers’ pockets. Uncle Sam could have his hand in your pants, thanks to a new ‘Visa Integrity Fee tucked inside President Trump’s latest legislative power play, the singular ‘Big Beautiful Bill‘.

If you’re one of the millions of Australians heading to the States under the usual ESTA visa waiver, you can breathe easy. But if you’re planning to live, work, or study in the land of baseball, burgers and baffling tipping policies, your travel just got a whole lot more expensive.

Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ and the new US$250 sting

The so-called Visa Integrity Fee adds a whopping US$250 (~AU$385) to the application cost for some of the most common non-immigrant US visas, including those used by business travellers, students and skilled workers.

Here’s who’s affected:

• B1/B2 visas — for business meetings, conferences, or extended tourist stays (typically if you don’t qualify for an ESTA)
• F1, M1 and J1 visas — for university and vocational students, and cultural exchange participants
• H1B visas — for highly skilled workers, such as tech and medical professionals

If you fall into these categories, likelihood is you are already shelling out hundreds of dollars for processing fees, security checks, and biometric data. You can add another $385 to the pile.

ESTA applicants

For the rest of us — tourists doing a quick Stateside jaunt, there is no change. The ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) remains the same for Australian travellers, costing the comparatively modest US$21 (~AU$33).

The new bill does not outline any changes to that fee. ESTA allows Australians to travel visa-free to the US for up to 90 days at a time, whether for business meetings or leisure purposes. It’s valid for two years and is usually approved in hours. That is, unless your name matches someone on a watch list or you have a previous conviction.

So, unless you’re relocating to the USA under one of those categories outlined above, and therefore don’t qualify for ESTA entry, the Visa Integrity Fee won’t apply.

But why now?

While the Trump administration’s justification for the new fee is aimed at improving ‘visa integrity’ and to offset immigration enforcement costs, critics argue it just makes entering the US more difficult and expensive.

Trump’s policies, like the man himself, are unpredictable — so don’t rule out future changes to ESTA costs or conditions.

Planning ahead

If you intend to apply for a B1/B2 or F1 visa, it would be beneficial to do so sooner rather than later. Your visa might be granted before the fee comes into effect (the exact implementation date hasn’t been confirmed).

For those in the early stages of planning a long-term US study or work, you’d better factor this new cost into your budget. Another cost to add to what you will pay for medical insurance, proof of funds, and other visa-associated costs

2PAXfly Takeout

Although this change will not affect the majority of Australian travellers to the USA, who will be eligible for ESTA, it will affect some.

For now, short-stay Aussie travellers can relax — but don’t take that visa waiver status for granted. As we’ve seen in the past, these things can change with a pen stroke and a press conference.

So, before you book that LA stopover or those Broadway tickets, make sure your ESTA is up to date — and maybe don’t mention politics at passport control.