How the One Big Beautiful Bill Affects International Students’ Visas and Costs

(UNITED STATES) The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025, reshapes the rules and costs for international students in the United States 🇺🇸. The law raises the DS-160 non-immigrant visa application fee to $250 and keeps the SEVIS fee at $350, pushing the typical upfront cost for F-1, M-1, and J-1 applicants to about $600 before any extra services. The new $250 fee became mandatory on July 22, 2025. Alongside higher costs, the law pours billions into immigration enforcement, with ripple effects for visa screening, travel, and campus life.

Policy changes and fiscal commitments

Under the OBBBA, the State Department increased the fee tied to the student visa process, which uses the DS-160 online nonimmigrant visa application. Students must still pay the SEVIS fee of $350, which funds the Student and Exchange Visitor Program that tracks international students.

Together, these charges raise the cost of starting or continuing studies in the United States, especially for families paying in weaker currencies. Many applicants will also face additional costs for biometrics, translations, document shipping, and travel to consulates.

The OBBBA’s fiscal side is substantial:

• $170 billion increase for border security
• $10 billion immediate boost for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
• Authorization to hire 10,000 new ICE officers
• Authorization to hire 3,000 additional Border Patrol agents
• $45 billion in expanded detention capacity through 2029, including provisions allowing longer detention of children and families

Important: Advocacy groups warn that the detention provisions may harm vulnerable populations and increase fear in immigrant communities.

Education policy and Department of Education action

The U.S. Department of Education has launched negotiated rulemaking to implement OBBBA provisions focused on:

• Post-graduation results
• Workforce ties
• Simplified loan programs
• Tighter school accountability

While these efforts mainly target domestic education policy, international students could feel the effects if colleges shift resources, change career services, or adjust work-related programming that affects Optional Practical Training (OPT) or campus employment.

Additional tax-related changes in the law include adjustments to education-related benefits for U.S. taxpayers—such as credits for donations to scholarship groups, tax-free treatment of some employer student loan payments, and broader expenses allowed under 529 plans. Most international students will not see direct benefits, but those who work in the U.S. or file U.S. tax returns should review their situations.

Impact on applicants and schools

Financial impact on students:

• Upfront cost: $250 (DS-160) + $350 (SEVIS) = roughly $600
• Common additional costs: biometrics, translations, document shipping, travel to consulates
• In volatile currency markets, budgeting has become harder and may force students to:
  1. Delay start dates
  2. Switch to online options
  3. Consider other study destinations

Travel, screening, and daily experience:

• Expect tighter checks on travel history, funding sources, and past status compliance at airports and land borders.
• This can affect both first-time visa issuance and re-entry after trips abroad.
• Schools may increasingly remind students to:
  • Keep full-time enrollment
  • Report address changes on time
  • Follow rules on on-campus work

Advocacy and institutional reactions:

• Organizations like the National Immigration Law Center argue the enforcement surge will spread fear and make life harder for noncitizens, including students.
• Campus advisors worry visitors on B-2 visas may face tougher screening.
• Supporters say enforcement will reduce document fraud and improve compliance.

Department of Education rulemaking specifics:

• Led by Acting Under Secretary James Bergeron
• Public hearings and committee sessions continue through early 2026
• Topics include student loans, workforce-focused Pell grants, and job-outcome measures
• Consequences for colleges that rely on federal funds:
  • New reporting systems
  • Possible budget shifts to programs with better employment outcomes
  • Potentially stronger career coaching and more structured employer ties for students — but also tighter rules around program changes and time to degree

Practical steps for international students and families

• Budget for the higher $250 DS-160 fee and the $350 SEVIS fee.
• Keep copies of funding letters, tuition receipts, and housing plans for visa interviews and ports of entry.
• Work closely with your school’s international office on course load, travel timing, and study-plan changes.
• Monitor school emails and websites for updates tied to Department of Education rulemaking that could affect internships, career services, or post-completion options.
• If concerned about increased enforcement, seek advice from a qualified immigration lawyer or a campus-designated school official.

Warning: The expanded $45 billion detention funding through 2029 raises risks for families traveling together or students caring for younger siblings. Even though student visas are separate from asylum or removal cases, stronger enforcement often produces broader checks.

Institutional preparedness and outlook

• Colleges and universities are bracing for:
  • Higher upfront costs for applicants
  • Tougher screening at consulates and borders
• Admissions teams report some students may defer starts to secure more funds.
• Career centers are reviewing employer outreach, especially in fields that rely on practical training (OPT).
• University associations are tracking rulemaking that could bring new reporting and accountability demands.

Looking ahead:

• Department of Education committees plan to meet into early 2026 to finalize rules on loans and workforce-linked grants.
• Immigration agencies will ramp up hiring across ICE and the Border Patrol.
• Advocacy groups may pursue legal challenges to detention provisions.
• For students already in the U.S., staying in status and maintaining clean paperwork will grow more important as enforcement resources expand.

Key facts recap

• DS-160 fee raised to $250 (effective July 22, 2025)
• SEVIS fee remains $350
• $170 billion boost for border security
• $10 billion immediate increase for ICE
• $45 billion detention funding through 2029
• OBBBA passed through reconciliation and is central to President Trump’s second-term priorities

VisaVerge.com reports these shifts could reshape where students choose to study and how campuses support them in the years ahead.