Before people retort that US requires the same of nationals of many countries, that is not a justification.
I'm not sure you understand what a justification is. Because that's pretty much the definition. We can hardly complain about anyone's application process given how much of a pain in the rear ours is.
My two worst experiences, funnily enough, have been.
1. Getting a US Visa as an Indian Citizen
and
2. Getting an Indian Visa as a US Citizen
The former required more paperwork, but the latter was somehow more frustrating despite being largely electronic. The surprise of needing to upload a passport photo within one hour (I didn't have one handy and had to run to CVS) only to have to restart the application was a pain in the butt.