Raising The Price Of Citizenship
Even as George Bush pushes the pending immigration bill, accusing those who oppose giving a path to citizenship for those already here of fear mongering (how ironic), his administration announced steep hikes in application fees for citizenship and permanent residency, according to an article in today's Los Angeles Times.
The Bush administration will announce increases in immigration application fees today that will double the cost of citizenship and almost triple the cost of becoming a permanent resident.
The new fees, reflecting an average 66% increase, led immigrant advocates and some members of Congress to criticize them as a "wall" that could bar poorer immigrants from citizenship. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials countered that the increases were essential to help the overloaded agency reduce its backlog and speed service. ...
Under the increases, which cover almost all immigration benefits, the cost of bringing a foreign fiance or fiancee will jump to $455 from $170. The price tag for a green card, or permanent resident visa, will rise to $930 from $325, and the cost of citizenship papers will increase to $675 from $330.
This agency is years behind in its processing of the paper work, and its systems, in this day of computer technology, are still primarily paper based. Why hasn't it been able to keep up with the work it is charged to perform? Well, a while back, Congress decided to take the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency out of the normal budget process and make it "user-funded," which means the only source of revenue for the agency comes from the fees charged for the applications.
The new fees are supposed to generate the funds for the following upgrades at the agency:
...the additional funds would raise annual revenue to $2.3 billion, which would be used to hire about 1,500 immigration officers, buy computers, improve training and cut by one-fifth the processing of their top four "products": applications for green cards or to renew them, petitions for businesses to bring foreign workers, and citizenship applications.
The agency also will use the additional funds to build or renovate 39 facilities nationwide.
Rather than revisit how this agency raises funds for its operations, the administration has decided to simply raise the price for legal status. That certainly makes the "amnesty" being proposed by Mr. Bush for those workers already here illegally a rather hollow promise. Many of them will be unable to afford legal status.
See? The anti-immigrant forces really shouldn't have been so upset by the new bill. Mr. Bush has it covered.
The Bush administration will announce increases in immigration application fees today that will double the cost of citizenship and almost triple the cost of becoming a permanent resident.
The new fees, reflecting an average 66% increase, led immigrant advocates and some members of Congress to criticize them as a "wall" that could bar poorer immigrants from citizenship. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials countered that the increases were essential to help the overloaded agency reduce its backlog and speed service. ...
Under the increases, which cover almost all immigration benefits, the cost of bringing a foreign fiance or fiancee will jump to $455 from $170. The price tag for a green card, or permanent resident visa, will rise to $930 from $325, and the cost of citizenship papers will increase to $675 from $330.
This agency is years behind in its processing of the paper work, and its systems, in this day of computer technology, are still primarily paper based. Why hasn't it been able to keep up with the work it is charged to perform? Well, a while back, Congress decided to take the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency out of the normal budget process and make it "user-funded," which means the only source of revenue for the agency comes from the fees charged for the applications.
The new fees are supposed to generate the funds for the following upgrades at the agency:
...the additional funds would raise annual revenue to $2.3 billion, which would be used to hire about 1,500 immigration officers, buy computers, improve training and cut by one-fifth the processing of their top four "products": applications for green cards or to renew them, petitions for businesses to bring foreign workers, and citizenship applications.
The agency also will use the additional funds to build or renovate 39 facilities nationwide.
Rather than revisit how this agency raises funds for its operations, the administration has decided to simply raise the price for legal status. That certainly makes the "amnesty" being proposed by Mr. Bush for those workers already here illegally a rather hollow promise. Many of them will be unable to afford legal status.
See? The anti-immigrant forces really shouldn't have been so upset by the new bill. Mr. Bush has it covered.
Labels: Immigration
posted by Diane at 4:06 AM
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