Job Discussion Forums

[Klamm]

I just went to CTS today to pick up a short term visa. Seems that as of August the price of visa more than doubled. A new policy come down from the powers that be for specifically Americans. Nobody else. What gives?

Ok...all those stripe basher bandwagonies may applaud, jog, jostle, hurrah and laugh but: Has anyone heard anything on this?

K.

[Roger]

New visa prices were being announced at the end of July.
Today, it was reported that Americans have been singled out for a price hike of about 30% because the US government hiked its visa costs for visitors to the USA.
Why the USA had to increase its visa costs is well-known; the Chinese are bad sports that always want to retaliate tit-for-tat.

[Klamm]

Roger,

Call me completely out of the loop here: Why did the US hike their visa prices for the Chinese?

[Roger]

Oh mate, if I said the ASmericans were bad sports hiking visa costs for the Chinese I would have been labelled an "anti-American", I suppose.
I thought the USA had security concerns that weighed heavily on the pricing structure of their visas. I do not know - just thought so.
Besides, isn't it ludicrous that the Chinese want to charge foreigners the SAME visa costs as other natiions charge Chinese visa applicants? Don't prices in one country reflect local costs and the salaries of THEIR nationals that man THEIR embassies and consulates?
There was a time - not so long ago! - when travellers and business visitors from outside socialist countries had to pay double and triple for services bought in China.
How would the Chinese react if EURORAIL passes cost them twice the price Japanese or Americans pay?
It is a little macchiavellian for the Chinese to up their visa costs, considering that it will affect lots of their own universities that have to pay for their American teachers' work visas.
The CHinese, incidentally, cost Western embassies a lot of time and funds for background vetting as so many of them present forged documents to enrol at universities overseas.

[Klamm]

I hear you Roger. China often acts on pride before sense. Something to keep in mind.

[Glen 2003]

I would imagine the few Chinese who are actually able to get an American visa are so thankful that they wouldn't care so much about the price increase.I feel bad for the majority of visa applicants who are refused a visa after just a two or three minute interview.

[goldstar]

I have a friend who was a visa officer over the summer, a first step towards work at the State Dept. No doubt its hard for the Chinese applicants, but she also characterized it has the hardest job she's ever had. It was her job to reject something like 95% of all applicants, many of whom were well qualified. She also got to take their abuse at the end of each interview.

[noodles]

I think you'll find that Americans are still charged less than us Brits. We had the same deal last year, England put the price up for Chinese citizens so they retaliated with the same. As far as i can tell it just means more money for new water coolers and hole punches.

[Joe C.]

It's called reciprocity and is extremely common in issues dealing with visas. Not only China, but many, many other countries have visa fee structures that vary in direct correlation to the visa fees charged their citizens by other countries.

So, when the US State Department raised their visa fees (presumably because of the increased processing costs resulting from Sept. 11), they knew that other countries would retaliate by raising their visa fees for US citizens. Of course, DoS doesn't care about the effect their actions have on US citizens. After all, ever had a document notarized at the consulate? A freaking $50 for a notarization that costs, at most, $2 even on Wall Street??? Imagine a notarization costing almost as much as your ten-year passport.