The USA announces an increase in the number of immigration procedures

Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) NOW published a final rule that increases fees for some of its procedures, which will allow it to process more “up-to-date,” the statement said.

The agency, which funds 96% of its work through immigration fees, faced increasing volume of work and criticism due to delays in proceedings.

The agency said in a statement that after a review, it concluded that the current rates fall far short of covering the full costs of its operations, which include expanding humanitarian programs, hiring new staff and mandatory salary increases.

“For the first time in more than seven years, USCIS updates our pricing to better meet the needs of our agency, allowing us to provide more timely decisions to those we serve,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou.

The biggest increase was recorded in procedures foreign workers such as the H-1B visa which increased from 10 to 215 dollars. The permanent residence process will cost $1,440, and work permits will cost $520.

The application for naturalization will go to 760 dollars.

The agency has added several fee waivers and discounts for certain applicants such as low-income victims of human trafficking and domestic violence and members of the U.S. military.

In addition, it implemented a $50 discount for online applicants and extended eligibility for reduced naturalization fees to low-income applicants.

New tariffs come into force April 1, 2024

Farshad Owji, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), said in a statement that the current model of USCIS, which charges its funding to users, does not allow the agency to have sustainable options and called on Congress to allocate the budget.

“While AILA applauds USCIS for its commitment to providing low-cost humanitarian assistance to certain applicants, the fee increases are significant and create an enormous burden,” Owji added.

For his part, the immigration lawyer and advisor of the Association of Salvadorans of Los Angeles (ASOSAL) told EFE that what worries them the most of their clients is the delay in processing their cases.

“If these increases will really shorten the time, they are justified, even if it was a blow to the pockets of many,” the lawyer continued, praising that some procedures that require a multi-year process have become cheaper.

On Tuesday, USCIS also announced changes to the selection process for H-1B visas granted to skilled workers, which are intended to combat fraud.