THE EDITOR, Sir:
THIS AN open letter to the British High Commission:
I am not opposed to the implementation of a visa requirement for Jamaicans who wish to travel to the UK. Given the many problems that the UK has experienced over time, all be it at the hands of the minority of travellers from Jamaica, there is not much that I can complain about; except for the following:
As stated by many others, the time between the announcement and implementation of the new procedures could be longer;
To be frank, the fee structure gives the impression that the processing of visas is a targeted source of revenues for the High Commission. I am not aware of anything that explains the 285 per cent difference in the fees for a 10-year multiple entry visa and a six-month single entry visa. I don't imagine that the procedure in one case is significantly different than in the other.
Other than the scaling of the fees, I still have another complaint about fees in general. For non-refundable fees, the amounts being charged are very exorbitant. It is a rather interesting observation that the majority of your fees are much higher than similar fees charged by both the US Embassy and Canadian High Commission.
What if one applies for a 10-year visa and you decide instead to grant a five-year visa or rather, a six-month visa? Wouldn't this effectively be "overcharging" the applicant? It is to be expected that many people will apply for multiple-entry visas in order to avoid having to reapply in the event that they wish to visit the UK again at some time in the future. It is also certain that you will not be "dishing" out visas for the length of time being applied for in all instances.
It does appear that there is room for the rethinking of the visa application fees that you have suddenly imposed on would-be travellers.
I am etc.,
CONCERNED JAMAICAN
St. Maarten
Netherlands Antilles
Via Go-Jamaica
