Recently U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it would be raising all immigration-related fees. As you may know, USCIS is a fee-funded agency, which means it requires fees to keep workers employed and to keep operations up and running. In fact, fees collected and deposited into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account account for about 97% of USCIS’s funding. That being said, in a recent move, the Department of Homeland Security announced that many immigration and naturalization fees will be adjusted, and raised. This is set to take effect October 2, 2020.
This comes as USCIS recently discovered in a biennial fee review that the current fees simply do not cover the financial cost of providing naturalization and adjudication services, leaving USCIS underfunded by around $1 billion every single year. This has brought on what is about a 20% increase in fees so they USCIS can continue operating as normal.
The fees being raised should help deter immigration fraud, vet applications and petitioners, and to adjudicate immigration benefit requests. The raised fees will also go towards newer technology, help pay those who work at USCIS, and additional general operations.
Of the move to increase the raise in fees, USCIS deputy director for policy Joseph Edlow said, “USCIS is required to examine incoming and outgoing expenditures and make adjustments based on that analysis. These overdue adjustments in fees are necessary to efficiently and fairly administer our nation’s lawful immigration system, secure the homeland and protect Americans.”
If you wish to save money when filing, you should note that by filing online, you will receive a $10 reduction in your fee. All petitions, applications, or requests that are postmarked after October 2 must include payment of the new fee. For any additional questions, please do not hesitate to pick up the phone and give our experienced Wisconsin immigration attorneys a call today. We are here to help you through every step of the legal process ahead.
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John Sesini is an experienced immigration attorney with offices in Green Bay and Milwaukee Wisconsin. Our firm understands what is at stake when it comes to immigration law matters, which is why If you have any questions, you should not hesitate to contact the Sesini Law Group, S.C., and schedule your initial consultation with our firm today.