US INCREASES VISA FEES TO RECOVER ADMINISTRATIVE CHALLENGES

With effect from 13 April 2012, the United States has adjusted visa processing fees for most non-immigration visa applications and Border Crossing Cards.
A release from the US Embassy in Banjul states: “The Department is required to recover, as far as possible, the cost of processing visas through the collection of application fees. For a number of reasons, the current fees no longer cover the actual cost of processing non-immigrant visas.”

Before this change was effected, visa fee for tourist, business, transit, crew member, journalist, student, Border Crossing Cards for person under fifteen and older, and exchange visit, was D4,200 (US$140 at $1=D30) but the change has increased it by 2% to D4,800 (US$160).

At a time the world is grappling with financial difficulties, and developing countries like The Gambia are managing to keep their heads above water, the move by the US – a developed country – could be seen as a pain in the neck for visa applicants to the US.

In The Gambia more than three-third of the population live on less than US$1½ a day; thus any attempt by a developed country to increase the cost of its service could be regarded as deterring.

The US embassy, whose new ambassador is yet to take office to replace Pamela Ann White, who may be moved to the Caribbean state of Haiti, states: “The non-immigrant visa fee increase will support the addition and expansion of overseas facilities, as well as additional staffing required to meet visa demand.

“Although most categories of non-immigrant visa processing fees will increase, the fee for E visas (Treaty-traders and treaty-investors) and K visas (for fiancé (e) of US citizens) will decrease.”

US out-going Ambassador, Pamela Ann White

However, the American diplomatic mission has effected minor changes on Immigrant visa processing fee, citing reallocation of costs associated with immigrant visas.

The fee for ‘Immediate Relative and Family Preference Applications, which was about D9,900 (US$330), has now been reduced to D6,900 (US$230); ‘Employment-Based Applications’, which was D21,600 (US$720), is now D12,150 (US$405); ‘Other Immigrant Visa Applications’, which used to be D9,150 (US$305), is now D6,600 (US$220); ‘Diversity Visa Programme’, which was D13, 200 (US$440), has now been reduced to the previous status of the ‘family preference’ visa fee; and the ‘Determining Returning Resident Status’, which was US$380, has been brought down to US$275.
All these changes have been published in the US Federal Register.

Every year hundreds of Gambian undergraduates and graduates attempt to travel to the US to either study or reunite with families, but only few succeed to get a visa to the States.

Cognizant of the fact that the African continent is suffering from brain-drain, consuls and embassies that issue visas and travel permits have become wary of the people they give visa.

In The Gambia, three-third of the country’s graduates now live and work abroad, making it the second country in Africa in terms of percentage to suffer the brain-drain syndrome after Cape Verde.

However, in response to this, government has instituted policies and programmes to help young people, especially those intending to take the clandestine journey to Europe.

Among the programmes instituted is the GAMJOB youth employment strategy, which has brought respite to many young people, as the scheme continues to offer them technical education, self-employment mechanisms, and entrepreneurial assistance.