New U.S. Visa Fee Set to Take Effect in 2026 Under Federal Spending Bill

A new Visa Integrity Fee outlined in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will apply to non-immigrant visa applicants starting in 2026, with added costs and administrative changes that could affect travel between the Virgin Islands and the wider Caribbean.

Starting next year, non-citizens wishing to travel to the United States will have to pay more to obtain their visas, a provision in the recently-passed federal spending bill that could negatively affect Virgin Islanders.

Large numbers of the VI population immigrated to the territory from elsewhere in the Caribbean, leaving friends and relatives behind to forge a new life in the land of opportunity.

Over the years, this has resulted in a rich and complex network of relationships between Virgin Islanders and the rest of the region, supported by strong intra-regional travel. Changes to the transportation industry over time – the shift from Puerto Rico to Miami as the Caribbean “gateway” to the United States, for example – have resulted in little change to the flow of regional visitors to the territory.

However, starting in 2026, friends and family members of the immigrant population of the Virgin Islands will be required to pay more for non-immigrant United States visas, due to the implementation of a “Visa Integrity Fee” that will be charged to successful applicants. According to the text of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the fee will apply to all categories of non-immigrant visa. It will begin at a minimum of $250, or a higher amount established by the Secretary of Homeland security, and will be pegged to inflation and adjusted annually in each fiscal year to follow.