The United States is simultaneously implementing a series of administrative measures that raise the barriers for foreign nationals seeking visas, citizenship, or commercial driving permits, with immediate effects on applicants from Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere. From July, a pilot programme will allow B1/B2 visa applicants at selected embassies to pay an additional $750 for an interview within ten business days, while the standard fee remains $185. Separately, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed raising the naturalisation application fee by $570, eliminating waivers for low-income applicants, and requiring most temporary residents to leave the country to apply for a green card rather than adjusting status domestically. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has directed states to verify immigration status before issuing or renewing commercial driver’s licences, leading Oregon to suspend all such licences for non-citizens and Indiana to cancel 1,800 existing permits.

Viewed from Washington, the Department of Homeland Security argues that fee increases are necessary to fully recover processing costs and support more rigorous vetting, while the State Department describes the premium visa service as an optional add-on to test demand and improve scheduling efficiency. The Trump administration has also resumed “neighbourhood checks” for citizenship applicants and intensified denaturalisation efforts. Critics, including former Biden-era USCIS official Doug Rand, contend that the citizenship fee hike creates “undue barriers for legal immigrants.” In Africa, where wait times for B1/B2 interviews in Abuja average 11.5 months, the expedited service is seen by some analysts as a two-tier system that favours wealthier travellers, though the US notes payment does not guarantee visa approval.

The measures directly affect distinct populations. Non-citizen commercial drivers, including asylum seekers with work permits and DACA recipients, face licence suspension or non-renewal in states that adopt strict enforcement, with California’s 20,000 existing permits temporarily protected by a legal challenge. Citizenship applicants will pay $1,330 for paper filings if the proposed rule is finalised, and those with household incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty line lose fee reductions. The IRS-State Department linkage means taxpayers with seriously delinquent federal tax debts exceeding $66,000 can be denied new passports or have existing ones revoked. Meanwhile, the US is revoking over 600 visas linked to birth tourism networks, and CBP warns that foreign commercial drivers misusing business visas for domestic employment face automatic visa cancellation.

The US moves coincide with tightening documentation enforcement elsewhere. Mexico’s immigration authorities maintain that a passport valid for the entire stay is required for entry, and airlines often block boarding if documents are expired, affecting entry points in Querétaro, Puebla, Toluca, and Ciudad Juárez. Cuba restricts exit and entry for citizens with pending criminal cases, military obligations, or state debts, even with a valid passport. Argentina imposes fines up to 257,000 pesos for driving with an expired licence, though a 90-day administrative grace period allows renewal without re-testing. Italy’s new decree on speed camera homologation aims to resolve a wave of contested fines by automatically validating post-2017 devices and requiring annual calibration. The US premium visa pilot runs through December 2026, the citizenship fee proposal is open for public comment for 60 days, and the California lawsuit over commercial licences is expected to set a precedent in the coming weeks.