Citizenship, residency filing fees may double in April

Immigrants encouraged to file early to avoid higher costs
By Louie Gilot / El Paso Times
Article Launched:12/13/2006 12:00:00 AM MST

Becoming a legal resident of the United States or a citizen is not cheap.

Because of fees to file forms, fees to have fingerprints taken, fees for medical exams and other costs, the tab can quickly run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Citizenship and Immigration Services officials announced last week that they would raise their fees significantly sometime after April. Agency director Emilio Gonzalez did not say exactly what the increase would be, but he said it would be a "fair amount."

The latest fee increase, in October 2005, was a modest $5 to $20 more per application.

But this time, some immigration lawyers who meet regularly with government officials and who attend conferences on immigration think the increase could double the current fees.

This would mean that a $325 I-485 application to register permanent residence could go up to $650; a $330 N-400 application for naturalization could go up to $660. The increase will probably also apply to fingerprinting fees.