U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) decided that they’re not charging enough for application filing fees, so they recently published a notice proposing a fee increase. I say “proposed” because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must first publish the proposal in the Federal Register and allow 60 days for the public to comment on the fee increase before it becomes a new rule. So, now is the time to review and comment on the publication by clicking on this link, https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/05/04/2016-10297/us-citizenship-and-immigration-services-fee-schedule. As you will notice, there are only 60 days in which to make your feelings known, so please comment now because it expires on July 5, 2016! The new rule will go into effect not less than 30 days after the comment period has ended. Your voice will make a difference with the proposed fee increases because the comments help to formulate the final rule, so please make sure and visit the link!
Once you review the link, you will notice that some of the new fee increases are astronomical. Pay particular attention to the new proposed fees for a travel document, EB-5 petition, an application for certificate of citizenship, as well as waiver forms in particular which are set to increase from $585 to $930! If you are eligible for, or are considering filing any of these applications such as for a green card or naturalization, you should strongly consider doing so before this fee increase becomes final.
Please contact Danielle M. Claffey at 404.949.8151, or by email at dclaffey@immigration.net with any questions.
