Act now and avoid the fee hikes FEE Hikes for Immigration Services by USCIS

The government fee for a green card is set to rise from $260 to $370.
The Citizenship application cost will increase by 66 percent, to $675 from $400 Immigrants should consider filing that application for United States citizenship or for any other immigration benefit before the end of July if they qualify.

On May 29th, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officially announced that they would raise filing fees on most immigration applications and petitions effective Monday, July 30th. Fees will be increased by an average of 66 percent across the board. All applications and petitions postmarked or filed on or after July 30th must include the new, higher fee. The current filing fees will be valid through July 29th.

The USCIS originally proposed the fee hikes on January 31, 2007. They received 3,900 letters within the two-month period for public comment on the proposed increases. In the end, only a few minor adjustments were made to the original proposal in response to the public comments.

Among the many fees that will rise is the one for a lawful permanent resident to apply to become a United States citizen. The application for naturalization will be increased by 66 percent, to $675 from $400, which includes the fee for fingerprints and biometrics. Applicants for citizenship over 74 years of age are not required to pay the fingerprint and biometrics fee, which is currently $70 and will be increased to $80.

The fee for an application to renew or replace a permanent resident alien card will increase from $260 to $370. A green card renewal application may be filed up to six months before the ten year expiration date on the green card.

An immigrant applying to become a lawful permanent resident in the United States through the adjustment of status process will have to pay $1,010, a 155 percent increase over the current $395 fee. Applicants over 78 years of age or under 14 years old do not have to pay the fingerprints and biometrics fee. To limit the cost increases for immigrant families with children, the fee for each child 14 years and under who applies with at least one parent to become a legal permanent resident will be (was set at) $600, instead of $930.

The new application fee for adjustment of status to obtain permanent residence in the United States is a package fee that includes applications for an employment authorization document, or work permit, and an advance parole document, or travel permit, at no additional charge.

The USCIS said that it will waive fees for victims of human trafficking, for refugees who are granted asylum in the United States, for some teenage immigrants and for immigrants fleeing domestic abuse who seek residency under the terms of the Violence Against Women Act.

The USCIS intends to use the additional revenue to improve efficiency and upgrade its buildings and computer systems and to reduce the average time for processing visa applications. The agency's operating costs are entirely funded by filing fees.

A list of all the new filing fees may be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.

US VISIT Exit procedures are being tested at the following airports:
* Baltimore/Washington International
* Chicago O’Hare International
* Dallas/Fort Worth International
* Denver International
* Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County International
* Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International
* Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
* Luis Muñoz Marin International in San Juan, Puerto Rico
* Newark Liberty International
* Philadelphia International
* San Francisco International
* Seattle-Tacoma International

The US-VISIT Exit procedures are also being tested at the following seaports:

* Miami International Cruise Line Terminal,
* Long Beach and San Pedro seaports near Los Angeles

If you leave from one of these ports, you are required to confirm your departure using US VISIT exit procedures. Generally, your check out will include the scanning of your visa or passport and repeating the simple inkless fingerscanning process. A workstation attendant will be available if you need assistance. The exit confirmation will be added to your travel records to demonstrate compliance with the terms of our admission.
Ultimately, most foreign visitors will be required to check out before leaving the United States.

Why do USCIS collect this information?

The biographic and biometric data are used to match your identity against the data captured by the State Department at the time the visa was issued to ensure that you are the same person who received the visa. In addition, your digital picture that was taken at the visa-issuing point is displayed to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer for visual comparison and
confirmation.

Using all these tools, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer will then either admit you or conduct additional inquiries based on the
verification results. These procedures reduce fraud, identity theft, and the risk that terrorists and criminals will enter the U.S. undetected or by using stolen or fraudulent documents.

E-PASSPORT TESTING TO BEGIN AT SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

January 13, 2006 - A live test of e-Passports, that contain contactless chips with biographic and biometric information and the readers that are capable of reading these e-Passports, begins January 15, 2006 at Terminal G at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). This test is a collaborative effort between the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore that will run through April 15, 2006.