Immigration fees to rise sharply
Los Angeles Times
The Bush administration will announce increases in immigration application fees Wednesday that will nearly double the cost of citizenship and almost triple the cost of becoming a legal permanent resident.
“The reason we’re raising the fees, short answer, is that we need the money,” said Emilio Gonzales, director of Citizenship and Immigration Services. “A lot of people are going to be affected by this, there’s no sugar-coating it.”
Gonzales said 99 percent of the agency’s budget comes from user fees, a system Congress devised based on the principle that the costs of citizenship should be borne by immigrants, not taxpayers.
Under the increases, which cover almost all immigration benefits, the cost of bringing a foreign fiance or fiancee will jump from $170 to $455. The price tag for a green card, or a legal permanent resident visa, will rise from $325 to $930, and the cost of citizenship papers will increase from $330 to $595.
The fee increases come as the Senate debates a wide-ranging immigration reform bill that would give illegal immigrants in the United States, estimated to number 12 million or more, a way to gain legal status. Gonzales said the fee increase, which will take effect at the end of July, was not announced with the Senate bill in mind.
Wild Thing’s comment………..
So when a person wants to come here legally and obey our immigration rules they are going to have to pay a lot more money. But meanwhile Bush and his illegal loving cronies want to show ” respect” for the feelings and demands of those here illegally.
This isn’t going to work either.
It’ll just make more of them running across the border.
Why can’t we just patrol our southern border like they do on the southern border of Mexico? They’ll shoot those running the border–they’ll do whatever it takes to keep the South/Central Americans from coming into Mexico and they are touted as Heroes. Ours get put in jail for doing their job!
That’s a big problem with me–They are policmen and they have to be allowed to do their jobs!
You couldn’t have stated it any clearer WT. If you want an enterprise driven underground just tax or raise the fees until it’s more feasable to do it illegally. It’s a chilling statement of our willingness to stifle legal immigration and bring illegal immigrants here with an open border policy, where that immigrant brings only one tangible benefit, a vote for Socialism. Cross the border and you’re entitled to a free education, home subsistance, food subsistance and free medical benefits. Not a bad way to live if society will pack the load and condone the criminal activity.
Lynn I agree with you completely, it bothers me a lot too.
Jack itg is just so shocking to me, like you said, the upside down way America has become.