US plans to hike fees for immigration services

Los Angeles: The cost of obtaining a green card, business visa and other immigration benefits will increase an average 10 per cent under a proposal announced on Wednesday by federal immigration officials.

But in a move hailed by immigrant advocates, officials decided not to propose fee hikes for citizenship applications, one of the largest and most politically popular categories of immigration benefits.

Citizenship fees were increased by nearly 70 per cent to $675 (Dh2,478.80) in 2007, which immigrant advocates say contributed to a sharp drop in the number of citizenship applications over the last two years. Alejandro Mayorkas, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the proposed fee increases were needed to close a projected $200 million deficit for 2010-11. Budget cuts of $160 million were not enough to offset the gap between the agency's projected $2.1 billion revenue and $2.3 billion in expenses, he said on Wednesday during a national teleconference.

New charges

Under the proposal, application fees for green cards would increase from $930 to $985, and fees for family visa petitions from $355 to $420. Foreigners wanting to become a US citizen must hold a green card for five years before they are eligible to apply for citizenship.

In addition, three new fees are being proposed for immigrant investors, civil surgeons and to process visa applications in state department consular offices.