The Trump administration wants to introduce a $ 1,000 fee for quick programming at visa interview
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, in the Oval Office of the White House, on February 24, 2025, in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images / Profimedia.
The Trump administration analyzes the introduction of a $ 1,000 tax for tourists and other visa applicants who want to get an interview with the embassy faster, according to an American official and an internal document of the State Department consulted by Reuters.
Currently, people entering the US with tourist visas or other non-graming type pay a processing fee of $ 185. Thus, the new option of $ 1,000, would be a premium service that would allow some to have priority to program interviews. According to the memo, the program could be launched in the pilot phase in December.
The proposed tax for the programming of visa interviews has not been reported so far and comes in the context in which President Donald Trump has also promoted the idea of a “Gold Card” – a proposal that would allow to obtain US citizenship for $ 5 million, with quick access to documents for those who pay.
However, the legal team of the State Department warned that there is an “increased risk” that the measure would be rejected by the Budget Office of the White House or canceled by the American courts, the document shows. The establishment of a tax that exceeds the real cost of the service “contravenes a consolidated jurisprudence of the Supreme Court”, the memo said.
A spokesman for the State Department has refused to comment on internal documents and communications. “Programming interviews for non-unimaginating visas is a dynamic process and we are constantly working to improve our operations globally,” he said.
Since taking over the mandate on January 20, Trump has adopted a hard policy against immigration, including by revoking some visas for students and intensifying checks for all visa applicants.
According to the most recent annual report of the institution, the State Department issued 10.4 million non-immigrant visas in fiscal year 2023, of which 5.9 million were for tourists.
The World Tourism and Travel Council estimates that, in 2025, the expenses of foreign tourists in the US will decrease by approximately 7%, against the background of the opposition to Trump's policies and the powerful dollar, which could cause visitors to choose other destinations.
In January, in the last days of the mandate, the Biden administration announced that it admits Romania in the visa exemption program (Visa Waiver), but the decision was suspended by the Trump Administration in March, before the entry into force, when the Department for Internal Security announced a review. In May, the Trump administration revoked the receipt of our country in the program.
