US visas will become more expensive: starting January 1, tourists planning to obtain a multiple-entry US visa will have to pay $303 instead of $160. However, according to experts, such changes are unlikely to affect Russians' desire to travel to the US, since the cost single entry visa has not changed.
"Starting January 1, 2019, Russian citizens will be required to pay a visa issuance fee in some cases if their B1/B2 visa application (for business or tourism) is approved. The visa issuance fee is based on reciprocity (the same fee the Russian Federation charges U.S. citizens for the same type of visa)," the Russian Embassy in the United States said in a statement.
As Yulia Veremyeva, a representative of the American tour operator American Best Getaways Inc., explained to TRN, the prepaid, non-refundable consular fee for a B1/B2 visa remains the same—it's $160. "If, after a successful interview, the visa is approved, the tourist has the choice of paying an additional $143 on the spot and receiving a three-year multiple-entry B1/B2 visa, or receiving a single-entry visa valid for up to one year at no additional cost. The practice of paying an additional fee for a longer-term visa, up to two years, existed previously, as recently as the fall of 2012," she explained.
However, according to the expert, these changes will not have a significant impact on tourists' decisions to travel to the United States, whether for one-time or multiple trips. "Those tourists who truly need a visa in the near future for business or personal reasons, and who are unwilling to wait indefinitely for an interview appointment, travel to third countries for the interview, which entails higher financial costs. Therefore, I don't think the additional fee will have any impact on demand. The continued limited availability of interview appointments at the US Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate General in Yekaterinburg is largely responsible for the decline in tourist flow," explained Ms. Veremyeva.
As a reminder, last summer, the US Embassy in Russia announced it would suspend nonimmigrant visa issuance nationwide, effective August 23, due to Russia's decision to reduce the number of US diplomatic mission personnel in the Russian Federation. Visa applications were later reinstated in Moscow and other regions.
"Russia's decision to reduce the number of personnel at the U.S. diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation calls into question Russia's seriousness in seeking to improve bilateral relations. We will maintain the number of personnel at the diplomatic mission at the level necessary to perform the core functions of our diplomatic missions," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
As a result, the process of obtaining US visas for Russian tourists remains quite complicated.
Source: trn-news.ru
