Those interviewing after 4th June 2010

[Ricky+Vanessa 43]

In case you missed it please take a look at this thread created by Kathryn:

Fee Increases for K-1

Edited May 21, 2010 by Ricky+Vanessa

[Justine+David 218]

oh my goodness. We just missed it!

I hope the AOS costs don't go up this summer!

[Ricky+Vanessa 43]

oh my goodness. We just missed it!

I hope the AOS costs don't go up this summer!

I was thinking the same thing! I had to pay for TWO visa's (K-1 and K-2).

[Justine+David 218]

well they announced the fees in december and haven't announced the AOS yet so hopefully we'll be okay...

Although honestly, I don't trust USCIS at all.

Edited May 21, 2010 by Justine+David

[Adrian+Mike 2]

I was plesently surprised on thursday when I had to pay my visa fee. I thought they had already gone up so was expecting to be paying alot more until I saw the receipt. Hopefully we'll just start the AOS just before if/when the fee goes up!

Edited May 22, 2010 by Adrian+Mike

[Leenie 15]

#$%^&@!!!

[CoffeeMuse 5]

That fee increase is huge. It is like triple from what I understand. In this current economy that seems like gouging, but it looks like there is no choice in the matter.

Edited May 22, 2010 by CoffeeMuse

[JohnAnwesha 4]

Wow that really sucks big time!

It is not even a decent increase.

It is like their way of dissuading people from trying to conceive the idea of being with their loved ones.Not all of the luckier lots only fall in love ,ya know! hah!

Anyway, so is there a proposed AOS fee hike also supposed to take place?I saw all of you talking about it.

[arwilson80 0]

'We' are allowed to pay this fee with 'plastic' in London, right?

I have read so many things over the last few months that most of them have all ended up in 'mush' together.

[FrostyMist 1]

How can they justify such a huge price increase?

I am glad we missed the price hike. My interview was back in January, so at least it is over and done with. I will be anxiously hoping that the AoS fees don't go up anymore.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

What this thread really needs is a reality check. Sorry to be a mega-b!tch, but these fees have been low for a very long time and we all knew the day the K visas got increased was going to come soon. The CR1/IR1 visas already cost this much. Back in July 2007, there was a massive increase across the board in fees, most notably for AOS up to the $1010 we see today. It was even more "extortionate" than this increase. Before then, EAD, AP and AOS could be paid for separately, and there was an option for saving a little if you only wanted to apply for AOS. Now it's $1010 whether you want to apply for all three or not.

Perhaps I'm being harsh, but we all need to remember that having our loved ones immigrate is a privilege and not a right. We all moan about USCIS and DOS, but they have a lot of work to do and they are funded by our fees. After the last round of increases, there was a marked improvement in processing times. Ask anyone who filed before then about how long their visa took. 8-10 months for a K1 visa for a UKC was not unusual; CR1/IR1s were taking 12-15 months. It IS better now, believe it or not. It may look extortionate, but it is paying for an actual service you are receiving. Sorry to be heavy about this, but I think some context was needed.

[bakofoil 27]

I have to agree with Maven here. While I appreciate the concern over cost, given the choice between more money and less time for processing I would definitely choose the former. If you were given the choice of paying extra to expedite your visa would you pay it? The processing times are much shorter these days and that's probably because they're able to spend more on labour.

[DukeOfYork 28]

So this doesn't seem to have any bearing on whether or not the application was sent prior to June 4? Has anyone heard anything from the Embassy? I bet there are going to be a lot of surprised people!

[Justine+David 218]

I see your point, Maven, but it took them more than 3 weeks to cash a payment from David to issue his visa. I really believe it was only after I called them up and asked what was going on that they got their act together because the next day they issued the visa. For $131 and a very straightforward case, I would have expected more from their service.

There's no market competitiveness since they're the government and private organizations don't process visas. Yes, I know it's a privilege, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't expect good service.

[arwilson80 0]

I CAN confirm the fee WILL be $350 - I have just opened a letter in the last 15 mins informing me of the cost.