Re: Why are Visas so expensive now?!?!?!?!?!

I just got back from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after applying for my new residency visa. I couldn’t believe it when I had to pay a whopping NT$3,600!!! :shock: I can’t remember it being that expensive last year when I got my first residency visa! I don’t mean to sound like an arrogant American, but you’d think that considering the protection Taiwan receives from the U.S., and the improved relations that Taiwan has enjoyed with the Bush administration, they wouldn’t be charging such an exhorbitant fee. Perhaps this is their way of funding the new submarines that we’re procuring for them? :x

Might have something to do with the fact that the US charges Taiwanese NT$3600 for non-immigrant visais. See ait.org.tw/ait/TSS/NIV/niv_chinese.html

But a B1/B2 visa for the States may be good for up to 5 years, multiple entry. I have to renew my ARC each year.

it was always $1000 per year. did they raise it to $1200 and you got a 3-year visa?

I think Feiren is on to something here. I read somewhere that everytime the Yanks put up their for for the Taiwanese, then vice versa. I think it came from one of the Hong Kong visa trip threads.

It’s because of all the American fishing boats smuggling illegal Canadian and American immigrants into Taiwan along the coast between Ilan and Hualien.

migration.ucdavis.edu/mn/archive … -06mn.html

qc.edu/newlaborforum/html/3_books.html

starbulletin.com/1999/05/10/news/story8.html

I agree with Feiren I think it has to do with reciprocity. Regarding the US and 5 year multiple entry visas allowing 6 month stays, I read somewhere recently the US will change this to allow for only one month.

And how does this effect holders of other passports?

Perhaps they have different policies towards different countries based on the reciprocity of the fee structure?

South Africans still get a few freebies here and there as we had full diplomatic relations with the ROC during our dark days of rogue statehood.

We now, however, favor a state with an extremely poor human rights’ record. How ironic!

It would be interesting to see if Gambians have to pay any visa fees.

Perhaps we are wrong about this as it seems that all nationalities pay the same amount of money for an ROC multiple entry resident visas. See here.

http://www.boca.gov.tw/~boca2000/en/for_charge_e.htm

yoyoyoyoyoyoyoyo

i’m currently am getting my visa processed by TECO stateside and they recently (November 2002, I believe) changed their policy from what the link above says to $100US for a visa, single-entry or multiple-entry. i don’t know if that change has happened worldwide, but it seems that either Taiwan is onto a rate hike worldwide or a reciprocation policy to the US.

I got a single entry visitor visa today. Euro 54 same-day (an expedited service, dunno how much the normal is)