Immigration Bureau Ups the Ante
Big Hikes in Citizenship, Other Legalization Fees Planned

Citizenship and Immigration Services said it would raise $2 billion over those two years from the fee increases.

GWASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration is proposing almost to double the cost of becoming a U.S. citizen and drastically raise the cost of becoming a legal permanent resident.
Citizenship and Immigration Services, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, announced last week it wants to raise the application fee for citizenship from $330 to $595 and the fee for becoming a legal permanent resident from $325 to $905. The agency plans to eliminate other costs that legal residency applicants often pay while awaiting their permanent residency.
Emilio Gonzalez, director of the Citizenship and Immigration Services, said 99 percent of the agency’s costs are paid for by application fees. The increases are needed to make up for lost revenue and to help the agency become "the immigration service of the 21st century," he said.