US Tourist Visa

Many of us know that after 9/11, the US State department raised Visa
processing fees for citizens of those countries that need a Visa to
enter the US across the board to $100, citing additional costs due to
security and background checks. Naturally many of those countries
reciprocated the favor by charging the same amount to US citizens
applying Visas to visit them.

Recently over a casual conversation with a friend from China, I was
outraged by the action of the Visa section of US Consulate in Beijing.
The parents of this young man, who live in Shang-Dong, probably a few
hundred miles from Beijing, wanted to come see him. So they travel by
train to Beijing to apply for Visa. AFAIK, there are only 5 or 6 US
Consulate offices across all of China. Shang-Dong is under the
Beijing Consulate Office jurisdiction. His parents paid $100 each to
get Visa and was denied. The reason was they were suspect of
immigration incliniation. Naturally the $200 was pocketed by the US
Consulate. If they want to apply again, they risk another $200 loss
not knowing if the Visas will be granted.

Is the State Department in the business of making money? When we paid
$100 to get Visa to go to any God forsaken country, we don't like it
but one thing we know is we will get the Visa. Plus $100 is just a
nuisance, not a big deal. But $100 to folks in many other countries
is a big deal. It may be several months salary. And to get their
money then deny entry. That's robbery.

How much we have changed from "give me you tired, your poor..." to
"give me you affluent, your brightest.."