Haitians Have Rights
It's official: Citizenship fee doubles
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/121905.html
BY LESLEY CLARK
lclark@MiamiHerald.com
WASHINGTON -- Beginning July 30, immigrants applying for citizenship or temporary work permits will pay almost twice as much as they do now under a plan to be unveiled Tuesday by the Bush administration.
The new fee structure for citizenship and immigration services -- which comes as Congress grapples with an overhaul of the nation's immigration system -- is aimed at speeding up the processing of paperwork, but critics have suggested it could put attaining citizenship beyond the realm of many immigrants.
According to figures supplied by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:
- The application fee for citizenship would increase from $330 to $675.
- The fee to apply for status as a legal permanent resident would rise from $325 to $1,010 for most applicants. Those 79 and older or under 14 would pay $930. Those under 14 filing with a parent would pay $600.
- The cost of work permits would rise from $180 to $340.
Most of the fees include the cost of fingerprints, which were $70.
The agency will continue to waive the fees for military members applying for naturalization.
The new fee structure becomes effective July 30 and can be seen at www.uscis.gov.
Agency director Emilio Gonzalez said the agency heard from more than 3,900 people and believes the fee schedule is ``both fair to our customers and vital to our nation as we continue to build a secure and efficient national immigration service.''
