US Artist Visa Update: New delays, new fees.
USCIS regular processing times have gone from bad to worse:
This affects anyone who needs an O or P visa, or any other petition-based visa.
Petition processing times are going from bad to worse. If you need an O or P visa, or any other petition-based visa, in less than six months, you will almost certainly need to pay $2805 (per petition, not per person) for USCIS’s Premium Processing expediting service. And no matter how far in advance you start the process, you should still budget for Premium Processing, because it might become necessary. Also note that USCIS doesn’t accept O and P visa petitions more than a year in advance and yet, somehow, they are now sometimes taking longer than a year to process them.
Throughout the last year, we had been reporting that some O and P petitions were being processed quickly and some were taking many months, and that there was around a 50-50 chance of being able to avoid USCIS’s $2805 Premium Processing expediting fee. This was because USCIS started splitting cases between their two service centers, with the Vermont Service Center processing most petitions within a couple of months and the California Service Center taking forever. Now, however, it appears that processing in Vermont has also ground to a halt.
Visa interview appointment wait times are increasing:
This affects almost everyone who needs a new O or P visa, except Canadians.
In addition to USCIS slowdowns, visa applicants are also now facing long wait times at many US embassies and consulates throughout the world, due in part to the Trump administration’s increased vetting of student visa applications. And starting September 2, interview waivers will be significantly limited, which is likely to make wait times even worse.
Fee increases for ESTA and I-94, the proposed Visa Integrity Fee, and the Visa Bond Pilot Program:
A number of fee increases and new program fees have recently been announced, many following passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) in July 2025. Not all applicants will be affected and details for some of these programs remain hazy. Foreign nationals should be aware of the following:
ESTA Fee Increase:
This does not affect anyone yet.
Congress has approved an increase in the fee for travelers intending to travel to the United States with an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), but the date of the increase has not been announced. The fee will likely increase from $21 to $40.
I-94 Fee Increase:
This fee increase has not been enacted, and will not impact most travelers.
The I-94 fee is only typically required for land border crossings or air travelers who complete the form online prior to travel.
For travelers who require pre-issuance of the I-94 travel record the fee has been increased from $6 to $24.
Visa Integrity Fee:
This does not affect anyone yet.
Congress has approved a new fee intended to encourage travellers to comply with the terms of their nonimmigrant visa travel. In theory, nonimmigrants will be reimbursed if they fully comply with the terms of their visa, including timely departure. The fee has not been enacted yet, and there is no word how or when it would be implemented, or whom it would affect. All we know is that the fee would be at least $250.
Visa Bond Pilot Program:
So far, this will only affect people with passports from Malawi and Zambia who are getting visas on or after August 20, 2025.
The Department of State has announced a pilot program intended to discourage people from selected countries from overstaying B1/B2 visas.The program will run from August 20, 2025 until August 5, 2026. At this time, it will only affect people traveling on passports from Malawi and Zambia. Bond fees vary from $5000 to $15,000 and restrict entry to one of three US airports (Boston-Logan, JFK, and Dulles). More information can be found here.
Some visa reciprocity rules have changed:
While most visa rules apply to people from every country, there are a number of country-specific rules that affect individuals traveling with passports from specific countries. This is called “reciprocity” and usually impacts fees, visa durations, and the number of entries visas allow. Last month, the Department of State (DOS) updated its rules for approximately 50 countries. Below please find a list of countries impacted by restrictive visa reciprocity rules. Many of the below countries may have already had restrictive visa reciprocity rules in place, but we have listed them here for completeness. We also annotate those countries with full or partial travel bans in place. Please check the DOS Reciprocity Directory for the most up to date information.
This may affect people who are traveling with passports from the countries listed below.
Burundi **
Chad *
Cuba **
Eritrea *
Haiti *
Iran *
Laos **
Libya *
Sierra Leone **
Somalia *
Sudan *
Togo **
Turkmenistan **
Venezuela **
Yemen *
* Full travel ban in effect
** Partial travel ban in effect for B-1/B-2, F, M, & J visas; potential for limited visa validity for other NIV categories.