*EPF408 08/09/01
Immigration, Visa Fee Increases Proposed
(Immigration agency faces new flood of applications) (410)

The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is proposing fee increases for a variety of applications and petitions issued to aliens and immigrants. The agency is seeking public comment on the fee hikes, which would affect non-citizens applying for more than 30 types of changes in their status.

The fee increases vary widely. A $5 increase is proposed for a petition for an alien fianc��. An application to replace an alien registration card -- a "green card" -- would increase from $110 to $130, and a petition for an international adoption would increase from $405 to $460.

In an August 6 press release, INS said that a review of the fees is required by law every two years to ensure that the money raised from applicants is adequate to cover the cost of processing their requests and administering the program.

No fees will actually go up, the statement said, until after a period of public comment for citizens to offer observations on the projected impact of the increases. The public comment period began August 8 with the publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register, and lasts for two months. The INS will analyze the comments and publish a final rule; 60 days later, most likely in January 2002, the higher applications fees will take effect.

An INS spokesperson said in a telephone interview that the agency expects to process close to 9 million applications for visas, work permits or other immigration benefits this fiscal year. That compares with 6 million applications in 2000. The administrative cost of these services is expected to mount to $1.2 billion ($1,200 million) next year.

The Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act passed in December 2000 is one reason for the sharp increase in the number of applications. The law contained a number of different provisions that offered potential immigrants broader opportunities to remain in the United States while their request for long-term residency status is being processed.

Information on how to submit comments by mail is available at http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/newsrels/feerelease.htm

Comments may also be filed by email, at [email protected].

A chart showing the entire list of fee increases for more than 30 types of applications is available at
http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/graphics/formsfee/feechart.htm

(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)
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