Hike in US visa fee takes...

have gone up. The cost of service study that we have done on a global scale for regular visas brings it to about $185 per visa,” he said.

Among their other considerations, according to McGovern, are the costs of building and maintaining their facilities, staffing their operations, and providing secure and reliable visa documents to the people.

But, he said, the “good news” is that the U.S. visa is now worth 10 years, which means it will last longer despite being costlier.

Application fee hikes will also be felt for those seeking certain petition-based non-immigrant visas for temporary workers, which will increase from $190 (P10,685) to $205 (P11,527).

For a treaty trader or investor visa applicant, meanwhile, the processing cost will rise from $205 (P11,527) to $315 (P17,713).

Asked if there are more application fee increases expected moving forward, McGovern said, “I hope we don’t see any more hikes in the future.”

According to the U.S. Embassy, it processed around 188,038 non-immigrant visa applications between October 2021 and September 2022.

McGovern also touted the drop in the waiting period for non-immigrant visa interview appointments — from almost two years to five months since October 2022.

“We’re trying to get that number even lower. We’re hoping to have it within two to three months by the end of 2023,” he said. n

Marcos said through a joint memorandum circular, ARTA reduced the number of permits from 11 to five, simplified documentary requirements from 62 to 26 and slashed the turnaround time from 868 to 74 working days.

The reduced requirements have resulted in an increase in the number of permits to 36,264 in 2020-2021 from 9,363 permits in 2019-2020, the president said.

“These improvements in telecommunications have not gone unnoticed on the global stage. According to the Ookla speed test global index report released in March 2023, the Philippines has significantly improved its rankings. In mobile internet speed, our country climbed from 93rd to 79th place, while in fixed broadband, we went to 60th to 41st place,”

Marcos said.

“This progress has enhanced communication infrastructure, facilitated economic growth and generally improved the lives of our citizens. It has hastened the digitalization of government services, thereby enabling the government to deliver timely and accessible services to the citizens in this rapidly evolving digital era,” he added.

Marcos also mentioned the implementation of the e-BOSS, which he said has slashed the time required for registering a business and has encouraged entrepreneurs to establish and grow their enterprises.

He noted that out of the 17 local governments assessed, only seven have achieved full implementation of the e-BOSS. Five of the seven local governments that have fully implemented the e-BOSS “have witnessed a collective increase in business registration and revenue collection for the year 2022,” the chief executive said.

“The success of e-BOSS is a testament to the power of digital transformation in promoting ease of business and stimulating economic development,” Marcos said.

Marcos also cited ARTA’s partnership with the 888 citizens complaint center, a move that he said has provided a channel for citizens to voice their concerns and initiate complaints against agencies that fail to deliver efficient, timely and effective public services.

Marcos ended his speech by emphasizing the importance of digitalization in the bureaucracy.

“While we say that digitalization is no longer a mere option but already a mandatory requirement in the rendition of government services, we do not impose undue burdens on the shoulders of our fellow servants. As we shorten the lines, cut the steps and simplify the procedures, we assure everyone that doing so can only be the next best way to enable our stakeholders to reach their goals,” the president said.

In a video message, First Lady Liza Marcos thanked ARTA for its contributions in improving the delivery of government services.

“I was told that this year’s theme, SPEED, stands for streamlining the Philippines for effective and efficient digitalization... So SPEED is aligned with the president’s priorities in the delivery of government services,” Liza said.

“Thank you for all you do to make our country a better place to live in,” she added. n