United States: Congress Passes Budget Reconciliation Bill with Immigration Impact
July 3, 2025
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At a glance
- The U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes new fees for visa applications and humanitarian applications.
- The legislation also includes significantly increased appropriations for border and interior immigration enforcement.
- The bill now goes to President Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.
The issue
By a vote of 218 to 214, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed a sweeping budget reconciliation bill that contains a number of provisions with immigration impact, after the Senate passed its version of the bill on July 1. President Trump is expected to sign the measure into law on July 4.
Impact on humanitarian immigration programs
The legislation creates new fees for several humanitarian immigration programs, including additional fees for initial and renewed employment authorization documents (EADs) and new limits on the validity period of those EADs. The legislation also gives the Department of Homeland Security new authority to assess adjudication and naturalization fees for asylum applicants and asylees that, in a departure from existing law, are not limited by the actual cost of adjudication.
|
Case type |
Initial fee* |
Subsequent fee* |
Fee waiver available? |
Additional information |
|
Asylum application |
$100** |
$100** each year application is pending |
No |
|
|
|
$550** |
$275** per renewal |
No |
EAD terminates after asylum application denial unless appealed |
|
|
$500** |
|
No |
|
|
TPS EAD |
$550** |
$275** per renewal |
No |
EAD validity limited to one year or validity of TPS grant, whichever is shorter |
|
Immigration parole application |
$1,000** |
|
No |
Applicants for adjustment of status, among others, are exempt from the fee |
|
Parole EAD |
$550** |
$275** per renewal |
No |
EAD validity limited to one year or validity of parole grant, whichever is shorter |
|
|
$250 |
N/A |
Not prohibited by the legislation |
|
* After FY 2025, fees will be adjusted annually for inflation.
** DHS is authorized to establish by regulation a higher fee than that specified in the legislation.
The legislation also imposes significant new fees on applications and other procedures that are filed or adjudicated in immigration court during removal proceedings, including applications for adjustment of status, Temporary Protected Status, and others.
Impact on visa and travel-related fees
The legislation creates a new “visa integrity fee” for visa applicants and increases certain other fees related to travel to and admission into the United States.
|
Fee type |
Fee amount* |
Fee waiver? |
Additional information |
|
Visa integrity fee |
$250 per application** |
No |
Fee reimbursable if visa holder complies with all visa conditions and timely departs or extends stay or adjusts status |
|
|
$24** |
No |
|
|
|
$13** |
No |
|
|
Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) fee |
$30** |
No |
Fee applies to certain Chinese nationals traveling on a 10-year B-1/B-2 visa |
* After FY 2025, fees will be adjusted annually for inflation.
** DHS is authorized to establish by regulation a higher fee than that specified in the legislation.
Appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security
The legislation provides for significant increases in funding for border security and interior immigration enforcement. This includes:
- $46.55 billion for the border infrastructure and wall system;
- $45 billion for immigration detention facilities for single adults and families;
- $29.85 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining officers among other purposes;
- $10 billion for creation of a state border security reinforcement fund;
- $10 billion for costs related to DHS’s border security activities;
- $6.168 billion for border inspection equipment, technology, and related costs;
- $4.1 billion for CBP personnel hiring and training, $2.05 billion for bonuses and awards, $855 million for vehicles, and $5 billion for facilities and checkpoints; and
- $2.055 billion for immigration and enforcement activities, including costs associated with removal of foreign nationals.
What this means for U.S. employers and foreign national employees
The legislation imposes significant new fees on individuals who rely on humanitarian immigration programs for their status in the United States and their ability to work, markedly increasing the cost of these benefits and requiring program beneficiaries to more frequently renew their employment authorization documents in many cases. The anticipated increase in humanitarian employment authorization applications could slow processing times for EADs and other case types if USCIS shifts workloads to meet increased volume. The bill will modestly increase the cost of U.S. visas and entry for all foreign travelers to the United States, except for lawful permanent residents.
Appropriations for border security and interior enforcement – which far exceed previous federal budgets – are likely to mean increases in worksite inspections among other immigration enforcement activities.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
