Immigration Fee Hikes Blocked
Proposed immigration filing fee increases for applications, appeals, and motions of up to 800% were temporarily blocked just hours before they were scheduled to go into effect. The January 18, 2021, federal court decision in CLINIC v EOIR (Executive Office of Immigration Review, the U.S. immigration court system) prevents the government from implementing most of the fee increases while the court is reviewing the case. The immigration fee increases were widely viewed as part of the Trump administration’s effort to block legal immigration and increase deportations.
While the court blocked most of the fee increases, the following filing fee increases went into effect on January 19, 2021:
- motions filed with the immigration courts from $110 to $145
- appeals in certain attorney disciplinary proceedings
USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ) will continue to accept the fees that were in place prior to October 2, 2020, and follow the guidelines that were in place prior to October 2, 2020, for fee waiver requests.
The temporarily blocked proposed increased immigration fees include:
• Recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) would pay $765, rather than $495, to renew their two-year legal permits.
• Some asylum seekers who apply for protection with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would be asked to pay $50 to apply for asylum. This is the 1st time asylum-seekers would be asked to pay a fee and would make the U.S. one of the few countries to charge a fee for humanitarian protections.
• Immigrant Green Card holders who want to become citizens would pay increased citizenship fees of $1,170 rather than the current $640 application fee, an increase of over 60%.
• Immigrants with temporary protected status’ fee to work legally in the U.S. would increase to $490 from $410.
DuPage County Immigration Lawyer
Immigration law can be confusing, and it changes frequently. It is important to have legal guidance from a knowledgeable attorney. The immigration attorneys at Godoy Law Office in Chicago and Lombard can help you with your immigration case. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office or call us at 630-912-0322.
AREAS WE SERVE: Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, and Lake Counties