Photo by Cristian Ramírez on Flickr
On July 31, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule (PDF) that increases fees for certain “immigration and naturalization benefit requests” to ensure that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a service which falls under DHS, recovers the cost of the services it provides. The increases become effective Oct. 2, 2020.
According to DHS, unlike most government agencies, USCIS is fee funded. Fees collected and deposited into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account fund nearly 97 percent of its budget.
As required by federal law, USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that the agency’s current fees do not cover its costs for the provision of adjudication and naturalization services. DHS is, therefore, adjusting USCIS fees by a weighted average increase of 20 percent to help recover its operational costs. According to DHS, if current fees were to remain as they are today, it would leave the agency underfunded by about $1 billion per year.
Joseph Edlow is USCIS deputy director for policy. “USCIS is required to examine incoming and outgoing expenditures and make adjustments based on that analysis,” Edlow said. “These overdue adjustments in fees are necessary to efficiently and fairly administer our nation’s lawful immigration system, secure the homeland, and protect Americans.”
Any application, petition, or request postmarked on or after Oct. 2, 2020 must include payment of the new, correct fees established by the new final rule. For a full list of changes and a complete table of final fees, see the final rule (PDF).
On Sept. 16, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz issued a press release in English and Spanish about the changes. “On October 2, 2020, the fee to become a U.S. citizen will increase from $640 to $1,160,” the statement read.
According to DHS, the rule accounts for increased costs to adjudicate immigration benefit requests, detect and deter immigration fraud, and thoroughly vet applicants, petitioners and beneficiaries. The agency wrote, “The rule also supports payroll, technology and operations to accomplish the USCIS mission. It removes certain fee exemptions, includes new nominal fees for asylum applicants, and reduces fee waivers to help recover the costs of adjudication.”
The rule also encourages online filing by introducing a $10 reduction for applicants who submit forms online that are electronically available from USCIS. According to DHS, online filing is the most secure, efficient, cost-effective and convenient way to submit a request with USCIS.
According to DHS, USCIS last updated its fee structure in December 2016 by a weighted average increase of 21 percent.
According to USCIS, in fiscal year 2018, over 757,000 people became naturalized U.S. citizens.
From 2016 to 2018, in absolute numbers, the top ten countries whose applicants became naturalized citizens of the U.S. were Mexico, India, China, Philippines, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Vietnam, Columbia, El Salvador and Jamaica.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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