Come January it may cost more to apply for work permits, tourist visas and green cards if the federal government gets its way. INS pushes for rate increase
Proposed fees
By Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.comThe Immigration and Naturalization Service published its proposed increases for applications and permits yesterday in the Federal Register, starting the clock on a 60-day period for public feedback on the proposals. The plan would raise most fees by about $20, with the exception of the fingerprinting fee which would double to $50 from $25.
According to Don Radcliffe, Immigration Service district director for Hawaii and Guam, the local office handles anywhere from 4,000 to 8,000 naturalization applications a year.
That fee would increase to $260 from $225.
"If we knew for certain that the fee increase would improve directly the efficiency of application processing, that would be one thing," said Ruth Oh, president of the Hawaii chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "However ... not all of the fees are used to improve processing of INS benefits so U.S. employers can hire needed workers more efficiently or to enable immigrant families to reunite without undue delays."
Federal law requires that the Immigration Service review fees every two years to make sure it remains self-sufficient in the application process and won't rely on taxpayer money.
The last increase was in January 1999, Radcliffe said. At the time, fees hadn't been raised for four or five years.
Radcliffe said Filipino immigrants "are by far our largest immigrant group," and that aliens make up about 60 percent of those filing applications at the INS office at 595 Ala Moana Blvd. U.S. citizens account for the rest of those filing applications on behalf of immigrant employees, relatives and future spouses, he said.
Yuk Pang Law of Hawaii Immigrant Services said she got several calls from worried clients yesterday.
She pointed out that the cost for applying for naturalization on top of the fingerprinting fee -- the two most commonly paid fees in Hawaii -- totals $310.
And even the $20 average increase is substantial for immigrants or naturalized citizens whose wages may not keep pace with the increasing costs of food, rent and taxes, she said.
Radcliffe said the proposals reflect inflation and the increasing cost of doing business as Congress "puts more steps in the process that we have to follow."
To comment on the proposed increases, send a letter plus two copies to the Director, Policy Directives and Instructions Branch, Immigration and Naturalization Service, 425 I St., N.W., Room 4034, Washington, D.C., 20536, Attention: Public Comment Clerk.
Or send comments via e-mail to insregs@usdoj.gov. To ensure proper handling, reference INS number 2072-00 on all correspondence.
To view public comments, call (202) 514-3048 for an appointment.
Proposed fees
Here are the proposed fee increases that would most affect those in Hawaii. The proposal by the Immigration and Naturalization Service is subject to a 60-day public input period. The increases could take effect in January 2002.>>Fingerprinting fee would increase to $50 from $25.
>>Application for naturalization would increase to $260 from $225.
>>Petition for alien relative would rise to $130 from $110.
>>Application to register for or adjust status of a "green card," which shows permanent residence.
would increase to $255 from $220.
>>Application for work permit would increase to $120 from $100.
Source: Don Radcliffe, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service district director