The American dream comes with an ever-higher price tag. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just touched a raw nerve with a proposal that will shake all legal permanent residents aspiring to citizenship. Nothing less than a 75% increase in the cost of Form N-400, the key to obtaining a US passport. From paying $760 on paper, it would cost $1,330. Crazy!
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published the new fee schedule in the Federal Register, and the figure is chilling. If you file the application in paper form, you get hit with $570 more. For the digital version, the price rises from $710 to $1,280, though they keep a $50 discount for those who dare to apply online. But don’t kid yourself: the increase is still fierce.
The excuse? USCIS needs to cover the costs of evaluating each case. Identity checks, security reviews, background verification… all that costs money, they say. But what they don’t say is that this measure is a direct blow to the wallets of immigrants who already live and work in the country.
And it doesn’t end there. Form N-336, used to request a hearing when citizenship is denied, also skyrockets: from $830 to $1,475 on paper, and from $780 to $1,425 online. So if you get denied, you have to pay more to appeal.
Worst of all, the DHS wants to eliminate fee waivers for Forms N-400 and N-336. That means goodbye to the possibility of requesting a reduction if you’re down and out. Also gone is the reduced fee for those earning up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. That means about 17,611 non-military applicants per year would lose the benefit, according to DHS’s own estimates. Some $16.7 million annually that the government expects to pocket at the expense of the most vulnerable.
The DHS calculates that the overall increase will generate annual transfers to USCIS of about $430 million. Over ten years, that’s $3.668 billion. And adding the elimination of waivers, another $196 million per year, which over ten years would be $1.674 billion. All this while immigrants wonder how they will scrape together the money to naturalize.
The authorities themselves acknowledge that the cost increase and the end of waivers may lead many residents to delay the process. They even admit that some people’s ability to start the process will be affected. But it seems they don’t care.
The good news (if you can call it that) is that this is just a proposal. The text was published as a notice of proposed rulemaking and is not yet law. The public comment period is open until August 24. The DHS asks that comments be specific, pointing out particular parts of the rule and explaining why they should be changed. So if you have something to say, now is the time.
For now, all we can do is wait and keep our fingers crossed that this madness doesn’t come to pass. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that when the government needs money, it doesn’t hesitate to take it from those who have the least.
Para mí esto es un choreo a los laburantes que vienen a hacer patria mientras los yankis se llenan los bolsillos. Otro tarifazo del DHS, 75% más caro, una cachetada al inmigrante. Viva la lucha, abajo el imperialismo yankee!
Para mí esto está bárbaro, era hora de que los que vienen a vivir del cuento paguen como corresponde. Si querés ser ciudadano, bancate los 1330 dólares, abrí la billetera. Estos zurdos lloran por todo pero son los primeros en pedir beneficios. ¡La nacionalidad no se regala, se gana! Firmado: FachaPower69