In an effort to show how caring the USA is wanting to educate us how great it is to visit the country, for online Visa Waivers, there is a planned charge of $10 to use to the tool.
The US Consulate calls this “A storm in a teacup”. I alas – don’t. Where as a fare to the USA is made up of many things (including security charges, inspection charges, etc), this represents yet another cost when going to the states for filling out what I’m sorry to say is a form based system that looks like it’s been knocked out of a 9th Grader/Year 9 student for homework.
And considering this was meant to do away with the I-94/I-94W forms, I’m not exactly impressed to be honest.
Whilst I accept some countries require visas, or e-visas, I fail to see how the cost they’re proposing is nothing but going into the Department of Homeland Security’s back pocket to fund other projects. In other words, Education my backside. A nice easy tax to collect is more like it.
Whilst ESTA isn’t a visa per say, this system has been implement by Australia for travel.. except it’s called an E-Visa. Notice the difference in terms of form filling? Correct – None at all.
My advice is simple: If you’re even thinking about travelling to the USA in the next two years – get your ESTA’s in as soon as possible. That or demonstrate with the Pound/Euro/other currency and simply don’t visit the USA.
And my soapbox comment: Go ahead America – be my guest and implement this. The EU and the UK will reciprocate in kind.
Source: BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8241255.stm
Additional reporting:-
Gadling – http://www.gadling.com/2009/09/05/united-states-considering-10-tourist-fee-to-pay-for-promoting/
AP: http://news.google.co.uk/news/url?sa=t&ct2;=uk%2F0_0_s_1_0_t&usg;=AFQjCNFfRC_APbPQmqR4m63L-V9TdEOv8g&cid;=1306897798&ei;=RielSvC2J8bUjAeKxeBy&rt;=MORE_COVERAGE&vm;=STANDARD&url;=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhostednews%2Fap%2Farticle%2FALeqM5iiFRRE_sZBAuQOhP-yVpKSA1Rs6QD9AGPAL00
God bless America and nobody else!The high security measures (and the extra costs for the passengers) are just the result for pissing off everybody on this planet. The majority of "Americans" are just a bunch of hobos and hillbillies that can't even tell date, time, temperature, distances or weights correctly but think they are the "crème de la crème" of the world. Their telephone system, TV norm and the level of air travel is a sad story of it's own.Don't worry; I'll get to the point soon.They sit on stolen soil, taken from the natives by bloodshed, not knowing that America is a continent (CONTINENT not a country or nationality) "Americans" ha ha ha. Are you from Canada or Mexico, Brazil or Argentina???A country, I mean a real country, sits on his own land, has a name and an own language. And this is my point. They just use and abuse the English language in any possible way and get away with that; for free!English is the language of England and not of some hobo-wannabe-country. So let them try to charge people who are stupid enough as much as green toilet paper as they want. BUT in return: please England charge THEM for using YOUR language. I think the "licence fee" will solve a lot of problems on earth because paying the appropriate amount will blew the whole "thing" into oblivion where it belongs.Just my thought….