Immigrants applying for a Green Card may have to pay more if the USCIS price hike bill goes ahead as proposed; it would also raise the price to remove the conditions of a Permanent Residence
A fee adjustment plan from the Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposes a 35% increase for immigrants who apply for a Green Card.
The presentation of Form I-485 or Registration for Permanent Resident or Change of Status has a current cost of $1,140 dollars, plus $85 dollars for the price of biometric data services, that gives a total of $1,225 dollars for this process.
The USCIS project is that the request for a Green Card costs $1,540 dollars, which would mean an increase of 35% or $400 dollars.
Form I-485 is used by different types of immigrants, such as people married to US citizens and family petitions.
In the case of some children under 14 years of age, the increase would be greater, since it would go from $750 dollars to $1,540 dollars, that is, an increase of 105%.
USCIS acknowledges that the fee increase would also be for the naturalization application, although it defends that the increase be minimal.
“The proposed rule would increase some fees, including a modest increase in the fee for certain naturalization applications,” the agency says. “If finalized, the proposed rule would minimally decrease or increase rates for more than a million low-income taxpayers each year.”
Another procedure on the rise
Those immigrants who obtain a Green Card through marriage, for example, after two years must request the removal of that condition, but this process would also increase in price.
The person must file Form I-751 or Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, which currently costs $595 dollars, but the USCIS plan is to increase that petition to $1,195 dollars, that is, 101%.
USCIS must receive comments for 60 days.