To Be An American, You've Got to Pay ... Even More

This month, the Obama administration announced that the already astronomical fees for immigration applications, which skyrocketed in 2007, will likely be raised again.

Under USCIS’s proposal, currently up for public review and comment, the fees for immigration applications — for those who wish to enter the United States as well as for those already living here legally who wish to update their status — will increase an average of 10% across the board.

Why? Because our government finances 90% of the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) through application fees, and there are currently not enough applications to cover costs. Because America is a less-desired destination? Don’t think so. USCIS has not specified which type of applications are down, or their thoughts as to the reason for the decline. But in difficult economic times when families are already hard-pressed just to make ends meet, is it merely a coincidence that applications for highly desired statuses decreased in the wake of the major 2007 fee spike? Probably not.

The government's solution?  To raise fees again.

Before the 2007 change, an adult Permanent Residency (or Green Card) application cost $325, plus a $70 biometrics fee. Today, the same application costs $930, and under the proposed increase, would cost $985. Adding the biometrics fee, set to increase from $80 to $85, puts the final cost for Permanent Residency at $1,070 per person. Multiply this by an entire family, and you’ve got a prohibitive fee system that, for those wishing to enter the United States, amounts to a giant “Keep Out” sign. And for so many immigrants already in America through legal channels, the prospect of updating their status as allowed by law becomes a financial impossibility.

USCIS talks a proud game about its decision not to increase the Citizenship fees — already at a whopping $675 for the application and biometric fee — due to the “unique nature of this benefit to the individual applicant, the significant public benefit to the nation, and the nation’s proud tradition of welcoming new citizens.” But don’t all of these applications, born from the strong U.S. tradition of immigration, significantly benefit the individual and the nation?

What if we financed the public defenders office with defendants’ legal fees, or our school districts with student tuition? We don’t do these things because public offices offer public services — at little or no cost. And given the contributions of immigrants to the United States’ culture, economy and way of life (from Einstein to farm workers to my — and maybe your — courageous great grandmother), immigration processing is a public service, contributing to a public good.

Sign this petition to tell USCIS that you agree.

Because by relying upon these fees for 90% of the operation costs of USCIS, we are putting a price tag on the inherent value of being American, and worse, we are keeping hardworking people from updating their status in the United States according to their rights prescribed by law. As we near the Fourth of July, it’s appropriate to wonder what our founding fathers would think of today’s American ideal: to be an American, you’ve got to pay.

Photo Credit: Martin Kingsley