travel

Visiting the US is about to get more expensive for foreign travelers

Visitors to the US from some of the nation’s closest allies will soon be required to pay higher fees outlined in the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Specifically, a hike to the fees associated with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which processes travel applications from residents of more than 40 countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program.

Those countries include the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and most of Europe, as well as a handful of countries in other regions, including Qatar in the Middle East.

Prior to the passage of President Trump’s signature legislation, applicants to the ESTA system, as it’s known, paid $21. Now that mandatory fee will nearly double on September 30 to $40.

It’s one of several fee increases associated with travel to the US from abroad. Travelers arriving through a land border will also see their fees go up with an increase inthe I-94 Arrival/Departure Record cost. Right now, travelers required to pay the fee only have to part with $6.
That amount jumps to $30 at the end of the month.

Lastly, travelers from China will be asked to pay a $30 enrollment fee for the Electronic Visa Update System. The September 30 effective date for the fee increases was outlined in a recent notice in the Federal Register.

The increase in fees, combined with the looming $250 “visa integrity fee” for many travelers from non-visa waiver countries, comes at a time when travel to the US from abroad is in a major slump.

As CNN’s Natasha Chen reported, many Canadians and other international visitors to the US are staying away. The World Travel and Tourism Council projected in May that the United States will lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending in 2025. It was the only country out of 184 economies analyzed by the council, a global tourism advocacy organization, that will see a decline this year.

The new visa integrity fee has not yet been applied. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security repeated to CNN that it “requires cross-agency coordination before implementation.”

Houston-based immigration attorney Steven Brown said he didn’t think the increase in fees will be much of a “hindrance” for most travelers. But he said the visa integrity fee is an entirely new thing.

“It will be intriguing to see because lots of questions are out there,” he told CNN Travel. “So we pay the fee, but how does it get refunded? Who is tracking compliance? How do you prove compliance?”

Source: CNN

travel

Emirates extends suspension of Dubai flights amid airspace closures

Emirates has temporarily suspended all flights to and from Dubai until 15:00 UAE time on Tuesday, March 3, due to multiple regional airspace closures.

The airline said the situation is dynamic and continuously monitored, urging passengers to check emirates.com

Options for affected passengers

Rebook flights: Passengers can rebook to the same destination on or before 20 March. Those who booked via travel agents should contact them directly; direct bookings can be managed at Emirates Support

Request a refund: Refunds for direct bookings can be requested via Emirates Refund Form

Travel agent bookings should be handled through the agent.

Passengers are advised to ensure contact details are updated via Manage Booking to receive real-time notifications.

All city check-in points across Dubai are temporarily closed until further notice.

Emirates said it is actively monitoring the situation and coordinating with relevant authorities. The airline apologised for the inconvenience and reaffirmed that the safety and security of passengers and crew remain its top priority.

travel

Saudi business visa rejections rise as scrutiny tightens

Riyadh is tightening scrutiny of business visas used mainly by UAE-based professionals travelling into Saudi Arabia, disrupting a decades-long practice that has let companies run projects in the kingdom without staff relocation.

There are no official figures on rejections, but immigration advisers and executives say they have seen more applications returned or refused in recent weeks, particularly for technical specialists and frequent visitors.

The “fly-in fly-out model”, as it is occasionally called, typically involves the misuse of a visa meant as a short-term permit for meetings and relationship-building, not revenue-generating work. Specialists say such misapplication has triggered the clampdown.

Abeer Husseini, a partner at global immigration law practice Fragomen, told AGBI there has been “scaled” misuse of business visas that are not intended for productive work.

“Based on our recent experience, we are seeing a higher possibility for business visa applications to be returned in certain scenarios,” Husseini said.

Abdulrahman Alfahad, a client relationship manager at Sovereign PPG Corporate Services in Saudi Arabia, said companies have relied on repeated business visits for individuals carrying out day-to-day operational roles, “which goes beyond the intended scope of a business visit visa”.

“Authorities are paying closer attention to travel frequency, length of stay and the nature of activities undertaken, particularly where patterns resemble full-time employment,” Alfahad said.

He said the impact is being felt mostly by consulting, professional services and project-based sectors, as well as regional headquarters structures where staff frequently travel in and out of the kingdom.

More than 10 UAE-based professionals at companies across banking, law and management consulting told AGBI their business trips to Saudi Arabia have been cancelled or delayed in recent months, though previously they had been entering and leaving the country nearly every week.

Immigration experts said the stricter outcomes reflect Saudi Arabia’s broader drive to support labour-market policies and a shift toward international standards.

“Saudi is clearly moving towards international best practice by drawing a firmer distinction between permissible business activities and work that requires employment authorisation,” Alfahad said.

Saudi Arabia has been pushing companies to build onshore capacity under Vision 2030 and meet Saudisation requirements – rules that require companies to employ a set proportion of nationals.

In 2024, it required businesses to base their regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia to qualify for government contracts.

Many multinationals that have long run operations out of Dubai have moved to meet Riyadh’s requirements, drawn by the scale of business in Saudi Arabia, which has the Gulf’s largest population.

But an HR executive, who declined to be identified, told AGBI that while companies have set up headquarters in Saudi Arabia, staffing is kept to a minimum – both to limit Saudisation quotas, which increase with each expatriate hire, and because employees are unwilling to relocate.

“Misuse of business visas can distort workforce reporting, and stricter enforcement supports more accurate Saudisation compliance and localisation objectives,” Alfahad said.

Ahmed Hassounah, managing director at Job Borsa, a Saudi recruitment services company that helps businesses comply with localisation requirements, said the goal is enforcement, not disruption for businesses already operating in Saudi Arabia.

“What the government is really focused on is ensuring that citizens and employees are trained and actively participating in the market,” Hassounah said.

AGBI

travel

Riyadh airport starts biggest overhaul in 40 years

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has begun implementing its largest operational transformation since opening more than 40 years ago, marking the first comprehensive overhaul of airline operations across its terminals. The phased redistribution came into effect today.

Under the “Terminal Transition” project, managed by Riyadh Airports Company, terminal allocations are being reorganised to enhance operational efficiency and improve passenger flow at the Saudi capital’s main gateway.

From today, Terminals 1 and 2 are designated for international flights operated by Saudi national carriers. From February 24, Terminal 4 will serve domestic flights for national airlines.

Beginning February 25, Terminal 5 will handle international flights operated by foreign carriers. On the same day, operations at Terminal 3 will be merged with Terminal 4 to accommodate domestic services of national carriers.

The move forms part of wider efforts to streamline airport operations and support rising passenger volumes in line with the Kingdom’s aviation growth strategy.