A fee under consideration in Congress is getting strong criticism from the European Union.
A $10 fee would apply to some visitors to the United States to secure a tourist visa. Visitors from most European countries have long enjoyed the benefits of the Visa Waiver program. Such programs allow tourists to visit for less than 90 days/3 months without having to apply for entry visas. Earlier this year, the United States started requiring people using the Visa Waiver program to register online 72 hours in advance and renew their registration every two years, or when they renew their passport.
The money raised for charging for this would be used to pay for a travel promotion campaign. So, essentially, to encourage tourism, we charge tourists to visit. Does no one think this might DIScourage tourism?
The EU has said that if such a fee was imposed, it would amount to the equivalent of a visa, causing the EU to consider visas for U.S. travelers, eliminating their waiver program.
We don’t quite get the fact that you are waiving a visa check, but still requiring people to register in advance. Reports of U.S. Immigration being overly impolite to people visiting the United States appear regularly. Security is one thing, but the current system is already discouraging to visitors. With the economy the way it is, to make them pay for it no less, and to pay for promotion to get them to come…it boggles the mind.
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