Costs for immigrant-related legal actions will climb higher if a new fee scale proposed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is approved, with the price tags in some instances more than doubling, acting Director Ken Cuccinelli confirmed Monday.
"It hasn't gone up in a number of years, but we, unlike the rest of the federal government, run like a business," Cuccinelli told Fox News' "Fox and Friends."
"We actually balance our budget in our agency."
The steepest fee hike, if approved, will hit people who submit requests for naturalization. The current fee is $640, with the new fee going up to $1,170.
"There are a lot of cross-subsidies," said Cuccinelli. "For instance, there are things we don't charge for, and so the things we do charge for have to accommodate those costs, and you see that across everything we do. And there are literally scores and scores of visas, employment, family, humanitarian visas. And a lot of humanitarian visas are either are under cost or at no cost."
The application fee hikes were released by the Department of Homeland Security in a proposal late Friday that also established a first-ever application fee for people who are seeking asylum. It also raises fees for some worker visa applications and limits fee waivers, reports Politico, noting that the plan is part of President Donald Trump's efforts to limit asylum.
The proposed changes are as follows:
- DACA renewal: $765, up 55% from the current $495.
- Naturalization: $1,170, up 83% from the current $640.
- H-1B high-skilled worker visa: $560, up 22% from the current $460.
- Application for Employment Authorization: $490 up 20% from the current $410.
The rule will be published in the Federal Register on Nov. 14, and the public has 30 days to comment.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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