Trump Administration Proposes Hiking Cost of Applying for a Green Card

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed increasing the cost of obtaining a green card (Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) by as much as 79 per cent from the current fee of $1,225.

Currently, a I-485 application includes Application for Employment Authorization (I-765) and Application for Travel Document (I-131) at no extra cost if all forms are filed concurrently.

If the proposed rule takes effect, applications for work authorization and travel documents will be charged separately even when all applications are filed concurrently with Form I-485.

The new proposed fees structure (biometrics fees included) will be as follows:

• New Fee for I-485 only: $1,120
• New Fee for I-485 and I-765  (if filed concurrently): $1,610
• New Fee for I-485 and I-131 (if filed concurrently): $1,705
• New Fee for I-485, I-765 and I-131 (if filed concurrently): $2,195

The cost of applying for citizenship (N-400, Application for Naturalization) is also going up, from the current $640 to $1,1170 (an 83 per cent increase) READ: Trump Administration Plans to Hike Citizenship Application Fee from $640 to $1170.

The new fees structure was announced on November 8, 2019 and published on the Federal Register on November 14th, where the public is welcome to submit comments on the changes until December 16, 2019.

If approved, the new fees structure will take effect December 2nd, 2019.

"Unlike most government agencies, USCIS is fee-funded. Federal law requires USCIS to conduct biennial fee reviews and recommend necessary fee adjustments to ensure recovery of the full cost of administering the nation's immigration laws, adjudicating applications and petitions and providing the necessary infrastructure to support those activities," USCIS said in a press release on November 8th.

USCIS, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), also plans to transfer $200 million to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - another agency within DHS.