Some Canadians travelling to the US will soon face a new $340 'integrity fee'

If you're planning a trip to the United States from Canada, you might want to double-check your itinerary — and get out your chequebook. A new change to Canada-U.S. travel rules could hit some Canadians with an unexpected cost.

Under a new U.S. law, certain Canadian travellers could be hit with a hefty new cost as part of tightening rules for cross-border travel.

The Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed into law on July 4, includes a section that introduces a "visa integrity fee" for non-immigrant visa applicants — and it's not cheap.

Starting in 2025, many foreign nationals, including some Canadians, will have to pay an extra fee of US$250 (about CA$340) on top of all existing visa charges.

And no, this new U.S. travel visa fee won't be optional or waivable — not even in special cases. The bill states that "fees required to be paid under this subsection shall not be waived or reduced."

Who's on the hook for the new fee?

Most Canadians travelling to the U.S. for a quick vacation, shopping trip or business meeting won't be affected — Canadian citizens don't typically need a visa for that. But the rule change could seriously impact Canadians who are headed stateside for more complicated reasons.

According to the U.S. Department of State, Canadian citizens must apply for a non-immigrant visa for specific travel purposes, such as:

• Joining a fiancé(e) in the U.S. (K-1 and K-2 visas)
• Completing a family immigration process (K-3 and K-4 visas)
• Working as treaty traders or investors (E-1 and E-2 visas)
• Serving as government or international officials (A, G and NATO visas)
• Assisting in law enforcement or terrorism investigations (S-5, S-6 and S-7 visas)

Permanent residents of Canada — even if they've lived here for years — also fall under this new fee structure, since they always need a non-immigrant visa to enter the United States.

How the $340 'integrity fee' works

Once the new fee takes effect, it'll be added to the cost of any applicable visa, and the total amount could increase every year. The bill gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the authority to adjust the fee annually for inflation starting in 2026.

The new visa integrity fee is set to take effect sometime in 2025, although as of now, a specific start date has not been announced.

There is technically a way to get your money back. The act states that Homeland Security "may provide a reimbursement to an alien" if certain conditions are met.

To qualify for a refund, travellers must follow all the visa rules perfectly and leave the U.S. within five days of their visa expiring (unless they've secured an extension or green card). However, it's not clear yet how visitors can apply for a refund.

Basically, the fee is the U.S. government's way of encouraging visa holders to stick to the rules. As the bill explains, this is about improving oversight of who enters and exits the country on temporary visas.

Why now?

This new U.S. travel visa update for Canadians is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to tighten control over immigration and international movement.

The law comes just weeks after a new presidential proclamation that restricts visa access for citizens of certain countries — including Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Venezuela and others. Canada's latest U.S. travel advisory notes that this proclamation would also apply to certain Canadian permanent residents, depending on their original nationality.

So while your weekend trip to Plattsburgh or Seattle probably won't cost more, anyone hoping to study, work or reunite with family in the U.S. might need to shell out an extra CA$340 starting this year — and that's before even factoring in other visa fees, travel costs and all the paperwork.

This story was inspired by the article "Voyager aux États-Unis: Des «frais d'intégrité» de 340$ bientôt exigés à certains visiteurs," which was originally published on Narcity Quebec by Jean-Michel Clermont-Goulet.

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