Ugandans who want to travel to the USA will need to make larger financial sacrifices.
This follows the US Department of State’s announcement that the processing costs for a number of non-immigrant visa categories, including students, would be increasing.
According to a statement issued by the Embassy in Uganda, the U.S. Department of State will increase the application fee for business or tourism visitors and other non-petition-based non-immigrant visas such as student and exchange visitors, from $160 (about Shs596,000) to $185 (about Shs690,000).
The new prices will be effective from May 30, 2023.
The Embassy says that the application fee for certain petition-based non-immigrant visas for temporary workers will increase from $190 (about Shs707,000) to $205 (about Shs763,000) while that for a treaty trader, investor, and applicant in a speciality occupation will increase from $205 (about Shs763,000) to $315 (about Shs1,172,000).
“Applicants who have already paid a visa application fee that is currently valid and non-expired, but who have not yet appeared for their visa interview or are waiting for their case to be processed; and applicants who pay the fee before May 30, 2023, will not have to pay the fee difference,” reads a statement by Anthony Kujawa, the Embassy Spokesperson.
He adds that all non-immigrant visa application fee payments made on or after 1st October 2022, are valid for 365 days from the date a receipt is issued for payment of the fee.
Estimates indicate that Sh12 billion is generated annually from Ugandans who apply for visas to the US.
According to reports, only half of the 20,000 Ugandans who apply for travel visas each year actually receive one.