Starting from January 1, 2026, the Indian citizens who want to travel, study, or work in the United States will not only receive a visa but also the harassment and the unnecessary financial shock caused by the huge increase in immigration and visa-related fees.
The most prominent of these changes is the obligatory collection of a $250 Visa Integrity Fee from almost all non-immigrant visa categories, such as the B-1/B-2 (tourist/business), F-1 (student), and H-1B (skilled worker) visas which are already very popular.
This new fee is in addition to the regular application fees thus leading to a situation where the total cost of a standard visitor visa to, for example, go up by more than 150%, possibly hitting around ₹40,000.
For an already considerable number of Indian students and skilled workers who reach out to the US every year, this huge increase that was brought about by the new legislation will make the American dream much more expensive and might even lead to the change of education and career paths.
Impact on H-1B and Indian Tech Workers
The fee increase places a heavy and immediate financial load on Indian tech workers and the companies in the US that sponsor them. In addition to the new Visa Integrity Fee, which the individual worker will have to account for, a Presidential Proclamation has required a gigantic $100,000 payment from employers for new H-1B petitions filed for beneficiaries outside the US. This phenomenal expense, which has to be covered by the sponsoring company, is nothing but a huge financial barrier for the new foreign talent to enter.
Consequently, for Indian IT firms that rely on the H-1B program to dispense specialized engineers, this decision renders them going through heavy operational costs and strong motivation to hire US-based candidates or to look for talent in countries with cheaper visa costs. Thus, Indian professionals who wish to enter the US tech market directly from India now have to face a much harder road.
Student and Tourist Visa Financial Hurdles
Indian students and tourists who are planning to come to the US will have to pay higher visa fees. Along with the new non-refundable visa integrity fee, the financial risk of rejection has now been increased greatly. An F-1 student applicant who already has to plan for substantial tuition and living expenses will find it really hard to cope with such an unexpected and high increase of over ₹20,000 in visa processing cost.
The combination of this and the existing financial documentation requirements for student visas might subtly discourage middle-class families from choosing the US over more affordable educational destinations.
The increase that is so dramatic, ends up tripling the cost of processing the visa for tourists and families planning short-term travel, making travel to the US much less accessible and possibly shifting the tourism preference towards other countries that have more cost-effective entry. The net effect will be a tighter financial environment for Indian applicants of all categories who are navigating the US immigration system in 2026 and after.
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A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
