U.S. May Raise Fees for Immigration
Fees for immigration applications and other immigration services probably will be raised within a few months to offset the increased processing costs, federal officials said Monday.
Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the exact increase has not been determined, but an immigration activist group said the hike probably will be about $15 per applicant and will go into effect in November.
Applicants for citizenship pay $260, and applicants for “green card†permanent residency status pay $255. Both applications also require a $50 fingerprinting fee.
The agency is required to review its financial needs every two years and adjust its fees accordingly. The costs of processing applications must be paid entirely through the fees.
The National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials said the $15 estimate is based on information it got from the bureau.
The bureau was formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
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