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No matter how steep the cost, Jamaicans say they will always find a way to afford the US visa application fee - just like they found money for the KFC Brawta deal a few weeks ago.

Outside the United States Embassy in Liguanea, St Andrew, on Tuesday, the chatter among hopeful applicants wasn't just about wait times or interview nerves, it was about the looming raise in visa cost.

As of January next year, a non-immigrant visa will cost US$435 (approximately J$69,500) - inclusive of the US$185 application fee and an additional US$250 if the visa is granted.

The US$250 is only applicable once a visa has been approved and is refundable as long as the applicant does not overstay or breach the terms of their visa.

Many describe the new change as just another hurdle, not a deterrent, and insisted that the ability to travel to the US still outweighs the growing expense.

"Even if it raise to a billion dollars, Jamaicans are going to find it," said Kevin Thompson, a 29-year-old applicant. "The lines will still remain long, and they will find the money when it's convenient."

Outside the US embassy on Tuesday, the usual hum of anticipation remained, even as news of the surcharge dominated conversations.

"I don't see the issue. You only pay the $250 if you get a visa, and you get back $250 if you don't overstay," said one applicant, moments after stepping out of his interview.

One applicant, who went to the embassy to renew his visa, described the imposition of the new fee as "a control method".

"What would typically be US$185 is now US$435. Even if the fee can be recovered, that is at the end of the visa's life, which can be 10 years from today," he reasoned.

Shelly, a proprietor in the nearby Standpipe area who provides various forms of assistance to visa applicants - from chairs and refreshments to reassurance - does not anticipate any fall-off in the number of persons seeking visas.

She opined that "When the time come, dem a go find it". "Remember when KFC did have two-for-one and people broke the glass fi get chicken? We claim we nuh have no money, but we turn up same way," she said, while expressing no worries about the impact on her business.

Shelly suggested that the repeated misuse of short-term visas, which some often treat like a back door to migration, gives officials more reason to clamp down.

"When me tell dem say is not six months, dem a seh, 'Shelly, is six months them give wi fi stay.' And me seh, that a weh you think. That a weh dem use pan unno."