Gustavo Solis

The Desert Sun

Immigrants are rushing to fill out citizenship applications before the federal government raises fees next week.

On Dec. 23, the Department of Homeland Security will increase application fees to apply for citizenship, renew a green card or have a family member immigrate to the United States.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the only agency within the DHS that is not funded by taxpayer dollars, says the fee increases are vital to keeping the agency afloat and cover the costs of refugees who cannot afford to pay the fees.

“We are mindful of the effect fee increases have on many of the customers we serve,” said USCIS Director León Rodríguez. “That’s why we decided against raising fees as recommended after the fiscal year 2012 and 2014 fee reviews. However, as an agency dependent upon users’ fees to operate, these changes are now necessary to ensure we can continue to serve our customers effectively.”

The changes include increased costs for dozens of immigration forms.

For example, I-765, which gives eligible immigrants a one-year work permit, will jump from $380 to $410. The I-130 form, which is for U.S. citizens and permanent residents who want to bring their family members into the country, will increase from $420 to $535.

SEE ALL OF THE FEE INCREASES HERE.

People all over the country, including some in the Coachella Valley, are rushing to get their paperwork in order and submit forms before the fee increases go into effect.

“I’ve been in the office since 6 a.m. because there is so much work to do,” said Olga Alvarez, an immigration consultant who works in Coachella and normally starts her day at 10 a.m.

Alvarez said the I-130 petition forms and green card renewals – which will increase from $365 to $455 – are the most popular forms.

On Wednesday morning, Alvarez was working on a petition filed by a man who became a citizen in September and wants to bring his wife and two young children into the U.S. Another form came from a woman who has been living in the country since 1998 who misplaced her permanent residency card and wants to replace it before the fees rise.

The increases may seem modest. But those prices, and the added cost of an $85 biometrics exam, is already out of reach for many people in the Coachella Valley, Alvarez said.

“A lot of the people who come into the office worked in the fields or hotels,” she said. “This is a lot of money for them.”

Rosa Maria Dado de Perez, who spent 20 years picking grapes and cleaning houses in Coachella before retiring, has been a permanent resident for two decades. Both of her children are U.S. citizens, but she cannot afford the current $595 naturalization application fee now, let alone the $640 it will cost in nine days.

She applied for a fee waiver available to low-income applicants.

“I hope I get it,” she said. “If I have to pay the full price, I won’t be able to afford it.”

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The fee increases also apply to waivers undocumented immigrants for to legitimize their status by leaving the country and re-entering legally.

The I-160A form, which requests a waiver for an undocumented immigrant’s unlawful presence in the country, will increase from $585 to $630. The I-160 from, which asks for a waiver of unlawful entry and other crimes committed by undocumented immigrants who are now living outside the country, will increase from $585 to $930.

Those prices may be too much for undocumented immigrants who want to correct their immigration status, said Analuisa Padilla, President-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

“During the campaign, at some point when (Donald Trump) moved in the way of mass deportations, he said there are going to be some folks who leave and come back,” she said. “If they leave, they are not going to be able to afford to come back.”

Immigration Reporter Gustavo Solis can be reached at 760 778 6443 or by email at gustavo.solis@desertsun.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @journogoose.