Trips to the U.S. this week became considerably more expensive for some Canadians.
A section of President Donald Trump’s much ballyhooed “Big Beautiful Bill,” which came into effect October 1, requires visa applicants from so-called non-waiver countries (countries where visa requirements for US entry are not waived) to pay a new entry fee in addition to their other required fees. Countries affected include China, India, Brazil and dozens of others.
The so-called “visa integrity fee” of USD$250 (nearly CAD$350 at current exchange rates), also is being enforced for permanent residents of Canada and to scattered Canadian citizens applying for certain US visas, including fiancé visas and those completing a family immigration process.
What is the U.S. visa integrity fee?
The “integrity fee” is added onto existing visa application fees, which already start at $185 USD (roughly $260 CAD) for most travellers. That means a family of four permanent Canadian residents (and a very limited number of citizens) could be hit with visa fees of more than $2,400 CAD for even a brief vacation in the States.
The fee comes at a time when many Canadians are avoiding trips to the U.S. because of threats about making Canada the 51st state, and a series of painful tariffs being slapped on Canadian imports to the States. The latest Statistics Canada report showed that, for August of this year, U.S. automobile travel by Canadians was down roughly 34% when compared to the same month in 2024. Air travel to the States by Canadians was down more than 25% from the previous year.
The Trump administration says the visa integrity fee is necessary to keep some visitors to the U.S. from illegally overstaying their welcome. But U.S. tourism and travel officials have condemned the fee as counter-productive and harmful to the American economy. “While the goals of increased visa compliance and integrity are understandable, imposing a mandatory $250 integrity fee … introduces serious financial and logistical burdens for international travellers and the travel trade alike,” said Zane Kerby, CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA).
