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.