Hollister
– A proposed federal increase in immigration and citizenship
fees could affect a lot of people in San Benito County, where one
in five residents is foreign-born.
Hollister – A proposed federal increase in immigration and citizenship fees could affect a lot of people in San Benito County, where one in five residents is foreign-born.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Jan. 31 announced a proposed 66 percent increase on immigration benefit application and petition fees that would take effect in June, the first hike since 1998. The plan, which the agency said would speed processing of applications and help it cover the cost of handling those applications, has been greeted with criticism from immigrants and advocacy groups.
“When there’s a barrier like this that comes into play, it really concerns us,” said Mickie Luna of Hollister, who is president for the League of United Latin American Citizens. “We’re a leader in encouraging people to become citizens.”
Luna said she thinks the increase in costs will have a negative effect on all individuals trying to obtain citizenship.
“It’s really trying to make it inaccessible almost,” said Akiko Clifford, a 33-year-old Hollister resident who became a U.S. citizen after emigrating from her native Brazil.
“I don’t know if charging more is the way to reduce the backlog,” Clifford said. “But when it hits your pocket, less people can apply so there’s less applications to process.”
One of the application fees that would see a considerable increase is the application to adjust status or register for permanent status, which will see a $580 increase to $905.
Clifford went through that application process in 2002 after marrying her husband, a U.S. citizen, and moving here. She entered on a tourist visa and had to adjust to a permanent legal status after marrying.
Clifford said it is already expensive to become a citizen. Her immigration application costs totaled about $3,000, including the cost of translating documents, renewal fees and the purchase of passport photos on top of the application fees – and Clifford said hers was cheaper than most because both she and her husband are attorneys so they were able to handle the paperwork without the help of an immigration attorney.
The change in fees varies by application. Paula Solorio, a San Francisco-based immigration attorney, said the fee increases that will have the largest effect are the naturalization fee and the application to register for permanent status. The naturalization fee will increase from $330 to $595.
Solorio said she fears the increases will result in fewer people pursuing legal immigration status.
“I think what it’s really going to do is it’s going to deter people from applying for relief,” Solorio said. “I think in the long run people may forgo even applying.”
Congress requires that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, pay for all its services using the fees it collects from applications. Emilio T. Gonzalez, director of the agency, said in a statement that previous increases in costs did not result in a decrease in the number of applicants.
According to the 2000 Census, 20.8 percent of Hollister residents are foreign-born, compared with a 10.4 percent nationwide average.
“There’s so many people out there – in Hollister, in San Benito County – who are trying to become citizens,” Luna said. “It’s going to impact everyone, every immigrant across the board.”
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. You can reach her at 637-5566 ext. 336 or at
aj**@fr***********.com
