- U.S. introduces new $250 (Ksh32,280) Visa Integrity Fee effective October 1.
- Applies to almost all non-immigrant visa types, including tourist, student, and work visas.
- Diplomatic and Visa Waiver Program travellers are exempt.
- Total visa cost will now exceed $435 (Ksh56,200), straining low-income applicants.
- Fee may be refunded if traveller leaves the U.S. within five days of visa expiry.
- Follows earlier move requiring social media profiles of student visa applicants to be public.
Kenyans planning to travel to the U.S. will now have to part with more money after the U.S. government introduced a new Visa Integrity Fee of $250. This change will take effect starting October 1, 2025, and it affects almost all categories of non-immigrant visas.
The fee will apply whether you’re applying for a tourist, student, business, or temporary work visa. This is in addition to the standard visa application fee already in place, which means the total cost could now surpass Ksh56,000.
Not everyone will have to pay the extra $250. Diplomats under visa categories A and G, as well as travellers from countries under the Visa Waiver Program, like most of the European Union, Japan, and Canada, are exempt.
Kenyans, unfortunately, are not on that list.
Interestingly, the U.S. government has noted that visa holders who leave the U.S. within five days of their visa’s expiry, or those who fully comply with visa terms, may be able to recover the $250. However, exact details on how this refund process will work are yet to be outlined.
This latest development comes just weeks after the U.S. State Department also introduced stricter screening for student visa applicants. Anyone applying under the F, M, or J categories will now be required to make their social media profiles public.
According to a statement released on June 19, this move is part of efforts to ensure only those who pose no threat to American security are granted visas.
“We use all available information to identify applicants who are inadmissible, including those who pose security threats,” said the U.S. Department of State.
For many Kenyans, especially students and low-income earners hoping to study or work in the U.S., this increase in cost may lock out opportunities. With the total visa application process now running beyond Ksh56,000, affordability becomes a bigger concern than ever before.
This signals a shift in how seriously the U.S. is taking visa vetting both in cost and personal background checks.
