With Fee Increases Possible, Now is the Time to Adjust Your Immigration Status
Posted on | November 29, 2009 | No Comments
The economic downturn has affected nearly every sector of the economy—from college graduates who can’t find jobs to illegal immigrants struggling to keep work to feed their families, and from large companies unable to afford work visas for skilled foreign workers to a public sector starved for tax revenue. The unemployment rate in Nevada is over thirteen percent at the same time that the housing crunch has put families in Las Vegas, Reno, and the Truckee and Lake Tahoe areas in jeopardy of losing their homes.
With lower activity throughout the whole economy, government functions that rely on tax revenue are more and more strained. Projections for a weak year in 2010 have led Alejandro Mayorkas, director of the USCIS, to publicly consider fee increases for next year. The consulate in Ciudad Juarez handled about five percent more cases in 2008 than in 2009, an increase large enough to require a continually larger staff without netting enough revenue to offset the cost.
While describing staff layoffs and fee increases in 2010 as a “last resort,” Mayorkas said that fee increases are nonetheless probable given the agency’s $164 million shortfall in FY2009, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Previous fee increases, including a major one just two years ago, have drawn charges from immigrant rights advocates that some people are being “priced out” of immigrating. When fees increased in 2007, the cost of applying for citizenship nearly doubled from $330 to $595 while costs for lawful permanent residence (a Green Card) nearly tripled from $325 to over $1,000.
While USCIS is doing its best to streamline and improve its processing—increasing reliance on web-based applications and trying to coordinate internally and with partner agencies—projections for another $100 million shortfall in FY2010 may leave the agency’s hands tied.
With fee increases likely in the next year, immigrants who are eligible to adjust their status should act now to save hundreds of dollars. If you are unsure if you have an opportunity to change your immigration status, you should consult an experienced immigration lawyer as soon as possible. Call us in Nevada for a free consultation.
Tags: Citizenship > Green Card > H1B Work Visa > Immigrant Rights > Immigration Attorney > Immigration Lawyer > Nevada > Permanent Resident > Undocumented > USCIS
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