New Immigration Fees Included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Introduction
President Trump signed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" into law on July 4, 2025. This legislation imposes several new immigration fees to be paid in addition to those already required by law.
While not all of the fees apply to the UIC international community, and many details have yet to be shared by the federal government, here is what we know so far:
What we know bullet points
- TPS application and EAD fees increased on July 22, 2025 – TPS stands for Temporary Protected Status and is granted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to individuals from countries that the Department of Homeland Security temporarily deems unsafe for return. The fee to apply for TPS increased from $50 to $500. The associated fee to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) increased from $470 (online filing with fee with waiver available) to $550 (no fee waiver available). More information.
- ESTA fee increases on Sept. 30, 2025 – ESTA stands for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. It is commonly used by individuals from Visa-Waiver program countries to authorize travel to the U.S. when a visa is otherwise not required. The ESTA fee will increase from $21 to $40 on Sept. 30, 2025. More information.
- Visa Integrity Fee and I-94 Fee – The One Big Beautiful Bill Act included a new $250 Visa Integrity Fee and a $24 Form I-94 application fee. The legislation states that the Visa Integrity Fee will be collected from non-immigrant visa applicants in addition to the current visa application fees already in place. The federal government has not yet shared final details on when or how either fee will be collected, or, in the case of the Visa Integrity Fee, how it may be reimbursed as suggested in the legislation. To read what information is available in the legislation, visit H.R.1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act at congress.gov and search “Immigration Fees.”
Closing
The Office of International Services will continue to closely monitor for updates to the Visa Integrity and Form I-94 fees and share information with the UIC international community as it becomes available. Please note that until the federal government shares final details on the start date and collection process for these fees, advisors will have a very limited ability to guide international students, scholars, and employees on how the new fees may affect their individual cases.
If you have questions about the TPS or ESTA fee increases, you are welcome to connect with an OIS advisor or email ois@uic.edu. We look forward to working with you.
Please note that the information shared in this message is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.