USCIS a issued press release in which it announced a proposed 86 percent increase in fees for immigration and naturalization benefits, which is needed to improve customer service, strengthen the security of our immigration system and modernize its business structure for the 21st century.
USCIS found that the current fee schedule does not cover the full costs of services the agency should deliver, as required. The last comprehensive USCIS fee adjustment dates back to 1998, when the average fee rose from $85 to $110, or 29.5 percent. This was followed by an inflation-only fee adjustment in October 2005. Under this new proposal, the average cost to applicants for petition and application will be about $438. Examples of the increased fees on popular forms include: Form I-129 jumps from $190 to $320, Form I-140 from $195 to $475, Form I-526 from $480 to $1435, and Form N-400 from $330 to $595, not to mention the required biometric fee now at $70.
In the past, interest groups and others have opposed such a drastic rise in the cost of legal immigration into the U.S. on the ground that it is prohibitive. A family needing to reunite with a loved one would typically have to file several immigration applications, such as the visa petition, the green card application and the work permit application. As the fee schedule now stands, these applications would run about $765, in addition to the required medical examination administered by USCIS approved doctor, photographs, fingerprinting and attorney’s fees. It is conceivable that a family such as the one above, would have to pay two to three times more in order to sponsor their loved-one under this new proposal.
In another area of interest, the Department of Homeland Security announced its new Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) on January 17 of this year. This will be as a single point of inquiry for travel-related issues, such as watch list misidentification, screening problems at ports of entry and delayed or denied boarding. The DHS Secretary, Michael Chertoff hopes that DHS TRIP will offer the legitimate traveler a clearly-defined process through which to report travel-related discrepancies, thus improving the traveler experience overall.
Beginning on February 20, DHS TRIP will be the central processing point for redress inquiries and route requests for redress to the appropriate DHS branch for review. TRIP will be a welcome addition for all, especially those law-abiding citizens erroneously placed on the unforgiving DHS watch list. Let’s wait and see.
Aime M. Katambwe is an attorney at WorldEsquire Law Firm LLP and he focuses on Immigration Law.
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