25 minutes ago, TedG said:

I highly recommend The Quality Inn near JFK.  It even provides pre-clogged toilets. 

Cab from JFK to Manhattan is a flat $70.  Backpackers roll into Thailand and live on that for a week.

36 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Thats one night in a non junkie hotel near JFK or LAX

You pro-Trump guys are missing the point. The extra fee - how much it is or isn't - is not the point here. It's just one more disincentive to jump through all the hoops to go to the United States for a holiday or watch football there or go to Disneyland or whatever.

 

Be truthful now. If you knew that a country that was hostile to foreigners and could arrest and detain you (or your wife or daughter) on any whim of the guy at the immigration counter, would you really want to take the risk of going to that country? It's just common sense. You can go somewhere else that's easier.

12 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Should keep out the riff raff from the countries ineligible for the Visa Waiver program. 

I know, the Country is full of riff raff now, mostly voting Trump

4 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Visa categories:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/all-visa-categories.html

 

Where it says that:

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/21/travel/visa-integrity-fee-usa-international-travelers

 

 

So even to transit through United States, for example you're flying to Palau via Guam, you'll need a transit visa, for which you'll have to pay 250$ unless you can do ESTA.

 

In other words, this is Thailand, and Thais are not on the ESTA eligible list, as such for everyone of them, visa costs will increase 250$.

As i said misleading and why on earth would you post a link to CNN as confirmation

 

There are 40 countries that have visa free travel to the US for tourism up to 90 days. That covers most of the western world of which you are part of. are you going to jump to the defense of chinese, russians N Koreans. South Americans now. who Already were restricted and had to pay $180... because Trump man bad

15 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

The extra fee - how much it is or isn't - is not the point here. It's just one more disincentive to jump through all the hoops to go to the United States for a holiday or watch football there or go to Disneyland or whatever.

If you cant afford $250, you cant afford Disneyland. And it only applies to those not privileged enough to be on our freebee list, which would be everyone complaining here.

 

15 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

If you knew that a country that was hostile to foreigners and could arrest and detain you (or your wife or daughter) on any whim of the guy at the immigration counter, would you really want to take the risk of going to that country?

Ive been in and out of Thailand numerous times in the past few months. Every entry into every foreign country is at the whim of the IO.

 

I dont think that any English team fan is going to avoid coming for the matches. And the dudes from Senegal? Pony up.

10 minutes ago, stuandjulie said:

I know, the Country is full of riff raff now, mostly voting Trump

Dont come.

16 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

You pro-Trump guys are missing the point. The extra fee - how much it is or isn't - is not the point here. It's just one more disincentive to jump through all the hoops to go to the United States for a holiday or watch football there or go to Disneyland or whatever.

 

Be truthful now. If you knew that a country that was hostile to foreigners and could arrest and detain you (or your wife or daughter) on any whim of the guy at the immigration counter, would you really want to take the risk of going to that country? It's just common sense. You can go somewhere else that's easier.

Commn sense was no where to be seen when you maade that comment.

 

If you are from GB. Canada, EU you have visa free entry for Max 90days... try using Google and reading up on facts before looking a total arse because you only read a headline

Countries that this fee applies to already has restrictions and fees

 

Like i said in the beginning. Its a purposely  Misleading headline and you all fell for it because of your derangement over Trump...🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

6 hours ago, gejohesch said:

I think I have the definition of "not so wonderful people" is, and by the same token the definition of "wonderful (maybe?) people".

 

1) As I understand it, this "visa integrity" fee only applies - on top of other visa fees - to whoever wants to visit as being citizens from countries such as :

- Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Africa, Egypt, Turkey, Mexico, or Argentina and so on.

 

2) Does not apply to citizens of countries which are part of the Visa Waiver Program such as:

- EU (e.g. France, Germany, Italy), Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and so on.

Tourists from these countries will apply via ESTA and will not be charged the integrity fee.

 

Category 1) = "not so wonderful people" - or as some would say = the "riff-raff"!

Category 2) = "wonderful (maybe?) people"

 

The visa integrity fee still applies to category 2) if not coming as tourists and for short visits (typically up to 90 days).

 

Glad to see 1 person looked past the headlines.

26 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

As i said misleading and why on earth would you post a link to CNN as confirmation

 

There are 40 countries that have visa free travel to the US for tourism up to 90 days. That covers most of the western world of which you are part of. are you going to jump to the defense of chinese, russians N Koreans. South Americans now. who Already were restricted and had to pay $180... because Trump man bad

Because that was the first one at the top of my search results.

 

And I am in Thailand, where this forum is located and where I at least believe, most posters are. So I guess I was jumping in defense of fellow Thais... and you, apparently! So you can continue paying 180$ instead of 430$ to visit Trump and tell him what a legend he is... before ICE throws you in the plane for El Salvador.

 

But what I was really in defense of was the common Americans. Those who work in shops, restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions, airports, airlines, etc, whose lives depend on tourism that Donald has dismantled and continues to destroy each time he opens his mouth.

 

You know, the people he couldn't care less about. That ones that elected him and are now left far worse off, with the worst yet to come.

 

I guess that's something a Kremlin troll would find very hard to understand.

 

Looking at the timing when the right winger Trump apologists show up with a barrage of messages I now believe they are actually mostly based in the US and crapping in this forum is their first order of business when they wake up... Quiet during Thai day, active evening to morning.

25 minutes ago, frank83628 said:

Commn sense was no where to be seen when you maade that comment.

Really? I am from one of the visa exempt countries. And I wouldn't even think about traveling to the United States now, given the current state of things with its ICE impunity. Millions of others - visa exempt or otherwise - feel the same (in case you haven't been reading past the headlines - do keep up). So anyone actually needing a visa and all the other hoops to jump through and the chance of being detained just because they're Latino, etc., is going to think much harder about traveling to such a place. Get it now Skippy?

1 minute ago, tomazbodner said:

Because that was the first one at the top of my search results.

 

And I am in Thailand, where this forum is located and where I at least believe, most posters are. So I guess I was jumping in defense of fellow Thais... and you, apparently! So you can continue paying 180$ instead of 430$ to visit Trump and tell him what a legend he is... before ICE throws you in the plane for El Salvador.

 

But what I was really in defense of was the common Americans. Those who work in shops, restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions, airports, airlines, etc, whose lives depend on tourism that Donald has dismantled and continues to destroy each time he opens his mouth.

 

You know, the people he couldn't care less about. That ones that elected him and are now left far worse off, with the worst yet to come.

 

I guess that's something a Kremlin troll would find very hard to understand.

 

Total BS throughout that post.

I am western. If i wanted to go to see the orange Lord i will be free visa to do so.

 

 I doubt Thais care about Trump. Its only you westerners that have the syndRome and hate, but you all have visa free entry so have nothing to worry about.

If a Thai can afford a holiday to the US including flight and original fee. Then i doubt an extra 9000b is a worry to them.

I expect it will upset the cheap Charlie US pensioners taking their bargirl GFs home to  show the family.

20 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Really? I am from one of the visa exempt countries. And I wouldn't even think about traveling to the United States now, given the current state of things with its ICE impunity. Millions of others - visa exempt or otherwise - feel the same (in case you haven't been reading past the headlines - do keep up). So anyone actually needing a visa and all the other hoops to jump through and the chance of being detained just because they're Latino, etc., is going to think much harder about traveling to such a place. Get it now Skippy?

 

If you are legally in the US you have nothing to fear from ICE.

If you are seriously worried about that i suggest you stop following what ever news you are. 

You sound like a weak gullible man.

The US is not hostile to foreigners. It is to illegal foreigners. Just like any other country 

2 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Because that was the first one at the top of my search results.

 

And I am in Thailand, where this forum is located and where I at least believe, most posters are. So I guess I was jumping in defense of fellow Thais... and you, apparently! So you can continue paying 180$ instead of 430$ to visit Trump and tell him what a legend he is... before ICE throws you in the plane for El Salvador.

 

But what I was really in defense of was the common Americans. Those who work in shops, restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions, airports, airlines, etc, whose lives depend on tourism that Donald has dismantled and continues to destroy each time he opens his mouth.

 

You know, the people he couldn't care less about. That ones that elected him and are now left far worse off, with the worst yet to come.

 

I guess that's something a Kremlin troll would find very hard to understand.

 

Yeah tourism is just suffering.

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/tourist-arrivals

 

The USA is booming.

2 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Looking at the timing when the right winger Trump apologists show up with a barrage of messages I now believe they are actually mostly based in the US and crapping in this forum is their first order of business when they wake up... Quiet during Thai day, active evening to morning.

Im in the USA right now, fabulous (yet boring). It doesnt rain every day and the steaks are great.

Visa Waiver Program Membership (2025): Not Required to Pay $250

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html

Citizens from countries exempt from the $250 fee must still apply for the $21.00 "Electronic System for Travel Authorization" (ESTA) Approval. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta

 

What a hassle. Why visit? 

 

2 hours ago, Tom100 said:

Visa Waiver Program Membership (2025): Not Required to Pay $250

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html

Exactly, a totally misleading thread headline, omitting these facts  done purely to stirr anti Trump BS. Which its clearly did. Typical of all media today.

Trump is demolishing the US economy, and tourism.

 

American steel makers are raising prices, forcing new costs onto domestic manufacturers that make everything from cars to military tanks. The increases come on the back of President Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum.

 

“You always see that as one of the traps of a tariff,” said John O’Leary, the chief executive of Daimler Truck North America, which buys large amounts of steel to make Freightliner and Western Star trucks and Thomas Built school buses. American steel makers, he said, now have “more headroom to be able to raise the price.”

General Motors said on Tuesday that its profit in the second quarter fell by more than a third, after President Trump’s tariffs cost the company more than $1 billion.

 

G.M. was the second automaker this week to show the toll that the Trump administration’s trade policies are taking on the industry. Stellantis, the maker of Chrysler, Jeep and Ram vehicles, said on Monday that it lost 2.3 billion euros ($2.7 billion) in the first half of the year partly because of tariffs and other Republican policies.

Automakers are an important pillar of the U.S. economy and the industry employs about one million manufacturing workers.

 

And in addition to that the dollar is the lowest it's been since July of 2021, against the Thai baht. It is absolutely tanking at a time when there are so many problems in the Thai economy, the only aspect of this to make sense are Trump's destructive policies. 

17 hours ago, angryguy said:

If you cant afford $250 then you cant afford it there

Likewise if you can't afford 300 baht you can't afford it there..

Years to wait for the fee to be refunded???  Here is what Grok says: Current Status of Refund Process: No clear refund mechanism has been established yet. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State have not provided specific details on how refunds will be processed, as implementation requires cross-agency coordination. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the Department of State may need several years to set up a reimbursement process, suggesting delays and limited refunds due to the long validity of many visas.

3 hours ago, Tom100 said:

Citizens from countries exempt from the $250 fee must still apply for the $21.00 "Electronic System for Travel Authorization" (ESTA) Approval. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta

 

What a hassle. Why visit? 

 

 

What happened with ESTA may happen with the "integrity fee." And that is other countries will start imposing the same fee, with their own version of it, just like UK, EU, Canada, and even Thailand now have their own version of ESTA.

14 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Looking at the timing when the right winger Trump apologists show up with a barrage of messages I now believe they are actually mostly based in the US and crapping in this forum is their first order of business when they wake up... Quiet during Thai day, active evening to morning.

 

Or it could be they are out late into the night, sitting at bars, looking at their phones, moaning about how inferior this society is (but they aren't racist because they married a local woman) drinking the night away, alone most likely (as she found out he's either a bore or a beast, the latter of which he thinks is a compliment) all while complaining about how immigrants back home (which they call illegals) should, they'll add, add nothing to society and should GTFO and go back to whatever sh*thole country they came from.

 

Sorry for the run on sentence!

On 7/22/2025 at 7:14 AM, webfact said:

File photo for reference only

 

As the United States gears up for major global events, a new "visa integrity fee" is set to impact those applying for a U.S. tourist visa. The fee, part of a sweeping legislative package signed by President Donald Trump, will see travellers hit with a $250 charge for non-immigrant visas from October 1, 2024, as part of fiscal year 2025.

 

The $250 fee applies for fiscal year 2025, which began Oct. 1, 2024, and ends Sept. 30, 2025. It may subsequently be adjusted for inflation.

 

The decision aims to bolster immigration efforts but has caused a stir amongst potential visitors and travel experts alike. The $250 fee, roughly 9,000 Thai Baht, is non-negotiable and could rise with inflation. However, those from the over 40 nations under the Visa Waiver Program might sidestep this additional cost.

 

U.S. Travel Association President Geoff Freeman has voiced concerns, citing the potential negative impact on tourism just as the country hosts high-profile events like the World Cup and Olympics. He emphasised the need for smarter policies to maintain America’s allure as a top destination while avoiding deterring would-be visitors with surging costs.

 

The move, seen as potentially discouraging to international travellers, is intended to offset costs related to immigration and border security. Significant investments in these areas are seen as necessary, but the fee has sparked debate over its timing and necessity with such monumental events on the horizon.

 

As the new regulation nears implementation, travellers and industry insiders are closely monitoring how this fee might reshape tourism dynamics in the U.S. With fiscal goals being balanced against global hospitality, the outcome remains to be seen as stakeholders grapple with the potential ramifications.

 

For those planning trips to the U.S. post-October 2024, staying informed and prepared for these changes will be crucial. The coming months will reveal if adjustments or exemptions arise, especially as international dialogue and feedback continue.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from ABC NEWS 2025-07-22

 

 

 

not even in 250 years i will pay that sum to enter USA... this move will cost them dearly...