On July 3, 2025, Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill entitled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, sending it to President Trump’s desk for him to sign into law. The House passed the Senate version of the reconciliation bill last Thursday, and President Trump signed the bill into law on the 4th of July. Only Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) voted with Democrats in opposition to the bill. The Senate passed the bill earlier in the week in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. Three Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Thom Tillis (NC), and Rand Paul (KY) voted against the bill.
Why it matters: The final bill included $132.6 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, including $45 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to increase immigrant detention capacity and $64.7 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The funding increase is expected to expand immigration enforcement efforts around the country. The funding is in addition to the agency’s budget and is expected to accelerate the construction of new detention centers, hire thousands of immigration agents, and expand border wall construction.
Go deeper: The bill also includes several changes from the House bill regarding immigration application fees.
- A non-waivable $100 Asylum Application Fee, down from $1,000 in the House bill.
- A $1,000 parole application fee with no exceptions, and a Temporary Protected Status application fee of $500.
- A $550 Work Permit Fee for asylum applicants, parolees, and TPS applicants, which must be paid and renewed every year.
- Work permits need to be renewed every six months. The Employment Authorization renewal and extensions fee for asylum applicants, parolees, and TPS applicants is $275, originally $550 in the House version of the bill.
- The Senate bill includes the House’s Nonimmigrant Visa “Integrity” Fee of $250, which will be paid when a noncitizen’s nonimmigrant visa is issued by the Department of State, including student visas, specialty occupation workers, and agricultural workers.
The new fees included in the Judiciary portion of the bill are estimated to generate $37 billion in revenue; however, immigration experts argue that these fees will be cost-prohibitive for many immigrants. The bill also aims to discourage remittances by implementing a new 1% tax on them; however, it exempts certain types of payments, such as those made through banks, from the tax.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.