The Price of Admission

From Mexico Solidarity Network, via Oaxaca Study Action Group:

The US State Department announced this week a 31% increase in the cost of temporary visas, to take effect in 2008. The price will increase from US$100 to US$131. Mexicans applying for a visa must deposit the funds in a bank in advance of a required interview, and the money is not refunded in the case of a failed interview. Nearly two-thirds of Mexicans who apply for visas are denied after the interview process. Mexicans who schedule a second interview appointment to present additional information must pay an additional US$131.

Emphasis mine. And it gets worse. According to the U.S. State Department website, applicants who have already paid their original $100 visa application fee and scheduled their interviews will still have to pay the $31 difference if their interview isn't held before after January 31, 2008. That's just poor sportsmanship, changing the rules in the middle of the game. Not sure what the logic is here, but obviously the State Dept. has figured how to squeeze the most from people. Want to take bets on how many interviews are scheduled for the month of January?

The government states that the current fee does not actually cover the cost of processing the applications, and claims the increase will pay for "costs of security and other enhancements to the non-immigrant visa application process." I wonder, though, if the State Dept. might be making up for lost revenues as a result of Congressional investigations into passport costs for American citizens?

More on rising visa costs here.