US visa fees going up for tourists, students
By Lu Feiran and Yang Jian |
April 10, 2012, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE United States will adjust visa fees this week, raising the price of most non-immigrant visa applications and Border Crossing Cards, while immigrant visa fees will decrease. The changes take effect on Friday.
Tourists, business travelers, students, exchange visitors and journalists will pay US$160 for a visa, compared with US$140 now. Fees for immediate relatives and family-preference applications will drop to US$230 from the current US$330.
Adjustment details are available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website, travel.state.gov, and on the websites of US embassies and consulates.
The US State Department is required to recover, as far as possible, the cost of processing visas through application fees. For several reasons, the current fees no longer cover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas, the department said. The fee rise will support the expansion of overseas facilities and additional staffing to meet increased visa demand, it added.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom also increased its visa fees by about 2 percent from last Friday. The fee for short-visit visa has been increased to 78 pounds (US$124) from the previous 76 pounds.
The application fees remain at 60 euros (US$78.50) for the Schengen Visa which is valid for more than 20 European countries including France and Germany.
Many local tourists and students complained on the Internet after the US consulate general in Shanghai announced the fee hike on its website and official microblog.
"The visa application fees for the United States have been among the most expensive, and it will become even higher," said Justin Jiang, a local white-collar worker who plans to spend his annual vacation in Hawaii with his five family members. Jiang said he might change the holiday destination considering the extra visa costs.
But students planning to study in the US said the fees are a tiny part of their total costs.
"It costs about US$50,000 for me to study abroad and the US$20 increase on visa fees will not influence my plan," said Ding Xin, who plans to take postgraduate courses in the US.
Last month, the US launched new visa policy to make it easier for Chinese people to enter the states. Consular officers can skip interviews for qualified non-immigrant applicants who are renewing visas within 48 months of their expiration.
The US is also expanding its space and assigning 50 new consular officers to help serve the rising Chinese demand.
Tourists, business travelers, students, exchange visitors and journalists will pay US$160 for a visa, compared with US$140 now. Fees for immediate relatives and family-preference applications will drop to US$230 from the current US$330.
Adjustment details are available on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website, travel.state.gov, and on the websites of US embassies and consulates.
The US State Department is required to recover, as far as possible, the cost of processing visas through application fees. For several reasons, the current fees no longer cover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas, the department said. The fee rise will support the expansion of overseas facilities and additional staffing to meet increased visa demand, it added.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom also increased its visa fees by about 2 percent from last Friday. The fee for short-visit visa has been increased to 78 pounds (US$124) from the previous 76 pounds.
The application fees remain at 60 euros (US$78.50) for the Schengen Visa which is valid for more than 20 European countries including France and Germany.
Many local tourists and students complained on the Internet after the US consulate general in Shanghai announced the fee hike on its website and official microblog.
"The visa application fees for the United States have been among the most expensive, and it will become even higher," said Justin Jiang, a local white-collar worker who plans to spend his annual vacation in Hawaii with his five family members. Jiang said he might change the holiday destination considering the extra visa costs.
But students planning to study in the US said the fees are a tiny part of their total costs.
"It costs about US$50,000 for me to study abroad and the US$20 increase on visa fees will not influence my plan," said Ding Xin, who plans to take postgraduate courses in the US.
Last month, the US launched new visa policy to make it easier for Chinese people to enter the states. Consular officers can skip interviews for qualified non-immigrant applicants who are renewing visas within 48 months of their expiration.
The US is also expanding its space and assigning 50 new consular officers to help serve the rising Chinese demand.
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