An increase in immigration fees

Effective April 1, certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees will be adjusted following the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services final rule announcement on Jan. 30.

According to its Jan. 30 news release, the final rule will “allow USCIS to recover a greater share of its operating costs and support more timely processing of new applications.”

As previously reported in the Jan. 17, 2023 issue of The Rider, the USCIS does not receive full funding by Congress, and most of its operating services are covered by fees.

To view the full list of updated fees, visit federalregister.gov.

Jorge De La Fuente, immigration attorney at La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, said the fee increases come with barriers for potential applicants since the fees are already high.

“Many people don’t have the funds to go ahead and, you know, pay these fees,” De La Fuente said. “So it’ll just make it a lot more difficult for individuals having to go through an immigration process to pay the fee increases.”

He said families of applicants will be affected as well since some applicants ask for financial assistance, giving the example that many earn the minimum wage or are retired and seek funds from their children.

De La Fuente said he thinks there will be a decrease in applicants after the fee increases, and it will be more difficult for people to visit a nonprofit organization to do their paperwork. 

He said people will resort to going to notaries to fill out applications, something he said they want to prevent since many notaries do not know about immigration laws.

“Immigration law has a lot of implications,” De La Fuente said. “So, let’s say you get arrested for any reason or, you know, something happened in your recent history that may be a red flag when you submit a citizenship application or green card renewal.”

Michelle Serrano, co-director for Voces Unidas RGV, called the increases “an invisible wall” and said people of low income statuses across all regions will be the most affected, except those given special support.

“Like, say, for example, people from the Ukraine,” Serrano said. “They are different from everyone else because we’re involved in a war where we’re supporting them.” 

She said “many of the people who have been trying to come here have that barrier of cost to them.” 

“Primarily because when they come here, they are forced to wait at least 18 months or more before they can even work,” Serrano said.

She said non-profit organizations and everyone from immigration attorneys to non-governmental organizations will be a lot busier with the fee increases, the $600 New Asylum Program Fee and SB 4.

As previously reported in the Jan. 16 issue of The Rider, Senate Bill 4 is a law that “aims to establish state crimes and penalties for migrants who illegally enter the state.”

U.S. District Judge David Ezra temporarily blocked the bill Thursday.

Álvaro J. Corral, an assistant professor in the UTRGV Department of Political Science, said the block will pause the enforcement of SB 4 until the case works out legally.

“Presumably, I would imagine that … Gov. Abbott and [Director and Colonel of the Texas Department of Public Safety Steven C.] McCraw … will appeal this decision that is unfavorable to them,” Corral said.

Alexis Uscanga, vice president of the RGV College Republicans, said the fee increases limit people’s chances to be U.S. citizens, calling it a “slap to the face.”

“Right now, the government’s policies, especially in the Biden Administration, have incentivized illegal immigration,” Uscanga said. “…but the process has actually gotten a lot harder for those that are trying to make it the legal way.”

He said the fees show the disaster of the Biden administration’s border policies and has just extended the process.

“I just think that it shows that we need a new direction, not only for the White House, but just in general … because this administration clearly is not working,” Uscanga said.

USCIS will accept prior editions of most forms during the April 1 through June 3 grace period, except for forms I-129, I-129 CW, I-140, I-600A and I-600.