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Fees for U.S. Citizenship and Residency to be raised

Find out about the new rates and the reason for them, announced by the Department of Homeland Security

Photo by: PublicDomainPictures en Pixabay

By Nancy Alcalá2020-08-04T23:38:00+00:00

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), informed through a statement, the increase in some fees for certain applications for immigration and naturalization benefits, in order to ensure the recovery of the costs of their services.

"Unlike most government agencies, USCIS is funded by fees. Fees collected and deposited into the Immigration Examination Fees account fund nearly 97% of the USCIS budget," the document outlined.

To this end, the Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule, which adjusts USCIS fees by a weighted average increase of 20% to be implemented starting October 2.

"These late fee adjustments are necessary to efficiently and fairly administer our nation's immigration legal system, secure the homeland and protect Americans," said Joseph Edlow, USCIS deputy director of policy.

Today, we announced a final rule adjusting certain immigration fees, thereby ensuring that we recover the full cost of administering the nation’s lawful immigration system. More info: https://t.co/l3eSevwhJB pic.twitter.com/i57neGSA6w
— USCIS (@USCIS) July 31, 2020

In addition to these new fees, the final rule "eliminates certain fee waivers, and includes new nominal fees for asylum seekers and reduces fee waivers to help recover adjudication costs," he said.

It also allows for filing an online application with USCIS, making it a more secure, efficient, cost-effective and convenient option, providing a $10 fee reduction for applicants who submit forms online, which are available electronically from USCIS.

If you are one of those affected by this news, you can click here to learn more about the new fees.

Among those most affected by this final regulation are applicants for U.S. citizenship, Deferred Action for Children (DACA), asylum, and other immigration benefits.

Among the most notable price increases is the rise in the citizenship application fee from $640 to $1,170, as well as the rise in costs associated with legal permanent residence from $1,220 to $2,195.

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