Trinidad and Tobago nationals to pay an extra US$250 for US visa

TT nationals, along with other "aliens" under US immigration law, will soon have to pay an extra US$250 (roughly $1,750) on top of their visa fee of US$185, to enter the US.

The news-site Caribbean National Weekly (CNW) on July 7 highlighted this downside from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act enacted as law on July 4 by President Donald Trump.

The news site said migration into the US would become "significantly more expensive" under the bill which brings a raft of changes.

"It passed both chambers of Congress in early July and was signed into law by President Trump during an Independence Day ceremony at the White House.

The news site said the bill also allocates US$170 billion to immigration and border control efforts, including US$46.6 billion to build a US–Mexico border wall, US$45 billion for new migrant detention centres and US$8 billion to hire 10,000 new ICE officers and staff.

The article said the extra US$250 fee would apply on top of the US$185 fee for visas such as B-1/B-2 (tourist/business), C-1 (transit), D (crew), F (students), M (vocational students), J (exchange visitors), and I (journalists).

CNW said, "Immigration advocates say the fee increases mark an unprecedented financial burden on those seeking lawful entry and protection in the US.

"According to one group, the new $1,000 asylum fee and $550 work permit charge represent 'the first time in US history' that such protection has come with such high upfront costs.

"With the bill now signed into law, Caribbean nationals and their US-based relatives should brace for a more expensive – and complex – immigration system in the months ahead.

The bill mandates "annual adjustments for inflation." The bill states that no waiver of the fee is allowed.

However the fee may be ultimately reimbursed if the migrant can prove he/she did not work in the US, nor overstay their allocated time, or "was granted an extension of such non-immigrant status or an adjustment to the status of a lawful permanent resident."

The CNW article lists other fees imposed under the bill, related to asylum and court-related procedures.

These include US$1,000 fee to apply for asylum or enter the US on parole, US$500 to apply for temporary protected status (TPS), US$550 for a work permit application by asylum seekers and parolees, US$100 per year fee while awaiting asylum applications, US$1,500 to adjust status to lawful permanent residency, US$1,500 to apply for a green card in immigration court, and US$900 to appeal a judge’s decision or file motions to reopen a case.

The article adds that under the new law, work permits must be renewed every six months, at US$550 per renewal.

The bill lists a US$3,500 initial fee and US$5,000 release fee for unaccompanied minors.

The article lists a US$5,000 penalty for migrants caught entering between official ports of entry, US$100 to request a court continuance and US$900 to appeal Department of Homeland Security rulings. The article added, "Other revenue measures include ESTA fees for visa waiver program travellers (such as European tourists) rising from US$21 to US$40."

Newsday tried but was unable to contact the US Embassy in Port of Spain to find out when the increased fees would come into effect.

The bill comes after the US government in June banned entry to the US by nationals of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, while partially restricting nationals from seven countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

Further, on June 15 Reuters said a leaked document from the US State Department was considering a full or partial ban on nationals of 36 countries of concern including four Caribbean nations. The list was: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.