The USCIS during the health crisis

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the federal entity in charge of processing the country’s immigration applications.

The USCIS income depends almost entirely on fees that applicants must pay when submitting an immigration request. That is why the immigration agency suffered a devastating downturn in revenue during the health crisis generated by the global Coronavirus pandemic.

In fact, the USCIS asked Congress for help since the end of May to protect the wages of its employees. Congress did not respond to this request and the USCIS planned to furlough 70% of its employees around the country, which would have affected the local immigration system tremendously.

The federal agency implemented a series of strategies to prevent the suspension of such a large portion of its employees. For instance, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated, in early August 2020, that immigration application fees would increase substantially as of October.

Let’s see some examples:

• Asylum seekers would have to pay $50 to start their immigration process, making the US one of only four countries in the world that charge for this program.
• Naturalization ceremonies, which are the last step for immigrants to become American citizens, would increase from $640 to $1,170, an increase of more than 80%.
• The application for suspension of deportation (individual) would increase 535%, from $285 to $1,810.

The prompt reaction of immigrant rights advocates

Since the increase in immigration fees was abrupt, dozens of activists and immigrant rights advocates raised their voice, calling on the government to reverse this decision to protect low-income immigrants.

In fact, a group of eight nonprofit organizations filed a lawsuit, stating that increase in immigration fees does not follow established legal procedures and that individuals involved in this proposal (Kevin McAleenan and Chad Wolf) were Acting Secretary of Homeland Security when they published the new immigration fees, which is “inappropriate and unlawful”, in their own words.

Motion Law Immigration keeps you up to date with the latest immigration news, policies and measures. Visit our Blog section!

Judge reverses increase in immigration application fees

On Tuesday, September 29, 2020, just 3 days before the increase took effect, Federal Judge Jeffrey White blocked the increase in immigration applications, arguing that the Trump administration did not follow established guidelines, nor did it take into account low-income immigrants, who contribute to the socioeconomic development of the US.

This is really hopeful news for thousands of immigrants who yearn to become American citizens or who need to submit an immigration application, but have low income.

In addition to that, it is well known that the current administration of the US aims to decrease immigration to “protect American workers,” a premise that has been refuted multiple times and contradicted by several recent studies. Therefore, the fact that a federal judge reverses the increase in immigration processes is an opportunity for the local immigration system to return to its regularity.

Do you need help with an immigration case? Contact Motion Law and follow the advice of experts.

Now is the time for you to submit your immigration application!

This is the right time for you to file your immigration application as soon as possible, taking advantage of the fact that immigration fees will remain the same until the lawsuit is resolved.

Aside from keeping you up-to-date with immigration news, our team of experts has vast experience when it comes to immigration processes and will guide you towards the success of your application.

If you have any questions about an immigration issue or relating to a case you may have currently in progress, then please don’t hesitate to contact us for a FREE Phone Consultation with one of our expert immigration attorneys

Simply call Motion Law today at: (202) 918-1799.