U.S. raises visa fee to $100

U.S. raises visa fee to $100

JAKARTA: As of Nov. 1, the United States government is increasing
the visa fee at its embassies worldwide from the current US$65
per application to $100 in a bid to recover the full cost of the
service, the embassy announced on Thursday.

The embassy said in a statement that the increase in the visa
fee was to fund the increasing nonimmigrant visa processing.

It said the Department of State, which processes visa
applications, was facing a critical revenue shortfall as the
current visa fee did not cover the full cost of the service.

"Because of lowered applicant volume and the budget required
to administer the Border Security Program, a fee of $100 is
necessary to recover costs," it said.

The embassy also said that more than half of the backlog of
Indonesian visa applicants had been cleared.

It noted that foreign travelers into the U.S., including
Indonesians, would now have speedier visa decisions due to the
implementation of an automated process.

Nevertheless, the embassy still encouraged Indonesians to
apply for the visa as early as possible to ensure they were able
to leave on time.

Travelers heading to the U.S. should also allow extra time to
make travel connections after arriving at U.S. ports of entry as
starting Oct. 1, the U.S. implemented the National Security
Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), involving registration,
fingerprinting and photographing of some individuals.