If there's one word that can summarize US Visa applications, it's fees...
Today I already had the pleasure to pay three of them:
- SEVIS fee (= a database entry in the student exchange database), USD 100.-
- Visa appointment scheduling fee, USD 10.-
- Visa application fee, EUR 89.08 which is about USD 140.-
So before the application form is filed, you are already spending 250 Dollars in fees (not to mention the cost of driving to the embassy in Frankfurt). What eases the pain a little is the good euro-to-dollar exchange rate at the moment.
But of course unlike last time I don't seem to be required to prove my proficiency in English so that saves me another few hundred dollars. Looks like it's my lucky day.