Originally Posted by
bingocallerb22
*I say bs because Canada does charge Colooombians a fee to examine and process the visa, that is, they do something. All Migración Colombia does is set up a booth to collect the $80, no additional work at all, nada.
The reciprocity fee does not apply to visa processing I don't think. The Colombians got upset because Canadia required a biometric check for the visa, I do not know if the $80 relates to the additional cost of the biometric processing but the upset was caused by every single Colombian having to go in person to Bogotá to get the check where previously I understand they could have done it remotely.
You can still call it BS of course because as you point out, Colombians are getting a biometric check and in return they are doing nothing apart from setting up a booth to take your money. I presume it is 80 USD because CAD is not worth anything any more and probably the booth would be loss making.
I do not need to get a biometric check if I want to go to Canadia, I can just turn up I think, so maybe that is what rubbed the Colombians up the wrong way, they may have felt that they could swallow the visa fee but not the added inconvenience. It could even be that there was a clash of personalities between the Canadian embassy and the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, maybe even a love triangle that ended badly. Who knows?
I don't know why they picked on the Canadians. If you happen to be in Barranquilla and you want a USA visa I do not know whether it is possible to do it at their consulate up there, otherwise USA visa applicants have to come to Bogotá too.
Reciprocal visa fees are inherently fair and just, but a country with a developing tourism industry and plenty of minerals probably ought to have thought it through better before sticking it to the Canadians