ReBlog of The Marshall Society …: Did Obama go off the reservation?
How Much Does It Cost to Become an American? via The Washington Independent.
The cost of a naturalization application is still $595, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced last week. The agency decided against a proposed fee hike on naturalization applications after the fee increase was discouraged in a public comment period. Of course, that doesn't mean all fees were frozen: A number of fees, such as the fee to apply for a green card or petition for an alien relative, were increased.
About 90 percent of the USCIS budget comes from fees, which are adjusted every two years. Naturalization is an expensive process, andestimates put the cost to the agency at $655 per application. But as many fees continually go up, immigrants rights advocates argue they become untenable for applicants who make little money. At $595, naturalization fees were already difficult to find for some immigrants, who also must hand over $85 for biometric fees (that fee was increased by $5 this year).
Other fees were increased, which immigrants rights advocates argue deters foreigners from seeking legal routes to immigrate to the U.S. "It begs the question of Congress: If we want these people to take these steps, we have to make sure that we're not pricing them out of their reach," Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza told USA Today when the fee increases were proposed in June.
A number of fees were increased. Green card application fees will increase from $930 to $985, while certain temporary legal status application fees will go from $710 to $1,130. Most applicants have to wait long periods to actually enter the U.S. — if they are allowed entry at all — even after shelling out the $985 fee.