A federal court blocked the immigration-fee increase scheduled for October 2

A federal court blocked the immigration-fee increase scheduled for October 2

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On August 3, 2020, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, USCIS, published a Final Rule that altered their immigration fees by 20% on average starting on October 2. However, on September 30, a federal judge temporarily blocked this increase.

Judge Jeffrey White of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California said that the reason for blocking the fee increase has to do with some “serious questions” plaintiffs had raised about the validity of the decision “because both the previous and current acting secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were unlawfully appointed to their posts,” according to an article published by Boundless.

Also, the fee increase would put at a severe disadvantage low-income immigrants. For instance, citizenship fees would increase by more than 60% from $725 to $1,170. As for the Green Card, it would have been $2,830 instead of the current $1,760.

However, according to the USCIS, their request was made to ensure that they could recover their services’ costs. “Unlike most government agencies, USCIS is fee funded. Fees collected and deposited into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account fund nearly 97% of USCIS’ budget”, the USCIS website published on July 31, 2020.

According to Boundless, the government will likely appeal the blockage to the Ninth Circuit court to obtain a stay of the injunction. Meanwhile, the fees will stay the same, so if you were looking into applying for citizenship, it is best to do it sooner rather than later. Remember to contact an immigration lawyer in San Diego, California, to guide you through the process. Kannan Law is ready to help.