Citizenship on hold for many immigrants By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago


President Bush is asking Congress to spend money to help businesses root out illegal workers but he did not request additional funds to help legal immigrants become American citizens more quickly.

In his budget proposal issued this week, Bush asked for $100 million to expand E-Verify, the system employers use to check whether they are hiring documented workers. He didn't ask Congress to allocate money to chip away at millions of citizenship and other immigration applications that flooded the government last summer, before an increase in the agency's filing fees.

Instead, Citizenship and Immigration Services will rely on $468 million in fees to pay for reducing the backlog by 2010. Those funds are a portion of the total fees that came in with the applications this summer.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the summer's fee increases will give the agency the money it needs to get back on track.

"People always argue well you ought to fund this, you ought to fund that. That's great, but the pie is only as big as it is and no one ever comes up with this slice they want to give back in return for this," Chertoff said.

A total 7.7 million applications for various immigration benefits poured into Citizenship and Immigration Services in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2007. That's 1.4 million more than the previous fiscal year.

"The backlogs are pretty much back where they were when they started and the agency is back to doing what it used to do, which is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Right now they are taking resources from permanent residence to do citizenship," said Crystal Williams, associate director for programs at the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

The immigration agency increased fees in July largely to raise about $1.5 billion to pay for modernizing computer equipment, hiring and training more workers, improving field offices and other spending.

Becoming a citizen now costs $595, up from $330. The price to get a green card is $1,010, up from $395. Applicants for both pay another $80 each for digital fingerprinting, a $10 increase.

Congress gave the immigration agency $100 million a year over five years through 2006 to reduce the immigration backlogs. Agency Director Emilio Gonzalez announced in September 2006 the backlog had fallen to about 139,0000 cases. About 1 million applications in the backlog that were incomplete, from people still awaiting visas or whose FBI name check was delayed, were not counted.

The administration deserves credit for securing the $500 million from Congress for the backlog, said Doris Meissner, former Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner under President Clinton.

"They broke through the idea that this should just be purely financed by the applicant fees themselves," said Meissner, a senior fellow with Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. "But it was finite."

Since 1988, the work of Citizenship and Immigration Services and its predecessor, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, has been largely paid for by revenue from application fees. Congress has provided money for specific projects over the years, but generally those have been limited to a few years. Sometimes fee money has been diverted for things like detention centers.

The result has been an agency constantly shifting resources to respond to the latest crisis, critics say.

"Every time the system breaks down, they are incentivizing people to say, 'Screw the system, I'll just overstay my visa.'" said James Jay Carifano, a research fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.

Immigration officials say they will be able to chip away at the backlogs as 1,500 new workers are hired and trained. Things should be back where they were before the application spike by 2010, the agency's spokeswoman Chris Rhatigan said.

Williams thinks that's an optimistic prediction. The 7.7 million applications the agency received last year amount to about three years of work, she said.

$1000 just to get a green card?!?!?! WTF!!!

I swear sometimes I don't think the government even know what they spend on. Take for example the country Myanmar. They have a sanction on that country so that means no american business can do business there. Then they go and build a 3 million dollar new embassy thats like a bloody fortress!!! And I wonder Why the F#@# do they need to build and spend that much. The military is lacking money and they go and bloody spend on a stupid embassy...

Why should the government put in our own tax money in order to "speed up" the citizenship process?

The citizenship fees and payments received should fund the entire program itself. If they ran it like a real business then this shouldn't be an issue. The government shouldn't have to put money into it at all. You don't need fancy computers, high tech equipment of any kind or anything of that nature just to process some applications and stamp a few things here and there.
They should have considered that years ago.

So I agree with the increase - everything else is getting more expensive for US citizens, so this is just spreading the increases all across the toast. Welcome to America - the land of climbing prices where everything you want or need is expensive and crap is free.

$1000 just to get a green card?!?!?! WTF!!!

I swear sometimes I don't think the government even know what they spend on. Take for example the country Myanmar. They have a sanction on that country so that means no american business can do business there. Then they go and build a 3 million dollar new embassy thats like a bloody fortress!!! And I wonder Why the F#@# do they need to build and spend that much. The military is lacking money and they go and bloody spend on a stupid embassy...

Add in $355 when your husband is a U.S. citizen for a 'petition for alien relative', about $300 or more for the medical exam needed, plus possible lawyer fees which run at about $1500 or more. Don't forget any other fees you might have to pay if you have spend any time in a third country.

Why should the government put in our own tax money in order to "speed up" the citizenship process?

The citizenship fees and payments received should fund the entire program itself. If they ran it like a real business then this shouldn't be an issue. The government shouldn't have to put money into it at all. You don't need fancy computers, high tech equipment of any kind or anything of that nature just to process some applications and stamp a few things here and there.
They should have considered that years ago.

So I agree with the increase - everything else is getting more expensive for US citizens, so this is just spreading the increases all across the toast. Welcome to America - the land of climbing prices where everything you want or need is expensive and crap is free.

I agree. American Citizens are already paying for things like illegals getting health assistance in an emergency room, etc. Why should they be funding the fees of those who want to become citizens? That is a privilege, not a right, so you have to pay for that privilege. I would expect the same should I chose to become a citizen in another country.
I do think that good computers need to be used in the programs however. As a government employee, I see that everything is computerized, all accounting, etc. So it can't stop there. Eventually everything will be paperless.

Why should the government put in our own tax money in order to "speed up" the citizenship process?

The citizenship fees and payments received should fund the entire program itself. If they ran it like a real business then this shouldn't be an issue. The government shouldn't have to put money into it at all. You don't need fancy computers, high tech equipment of any kind or anything of that nature just to process some applications and stamp a few things here and there.
They should have considered that years ago.

So I agree with the increase - everything else is getting more expensive for US citizens, so this is just spreading the increases all across the toast. Welcome to America - the land of climbing prices where everything you want or need is expensive and crap is free.

I agree. American Citizens are already paying for things like illegals getting health assistance in an emergency room, etc. Why should they be funding the fees of those who want to become citizens? That is a privilege, not a right, so you have to pay for that privilege. I would expect the same should I chose to become a citizen in another country.
I do think that good computers need to be used in the programs however. As a government employee, I see that everything is computerized, all accounting, etc. So it can't stop there. Eventually everything will be paperless.

If the immigration process was easier (as in faster, more efficient and not this ridiculously expensive) I truly believe that the problem of illegal immigration would be nowhere near what it is at the moment. Considering all the red tape, the lack of transparency and long waiting periods, not to mention the many times rude employees at the USCIS, it is IMO no wonder how many people give up and simply fall through the cracks.

I can agree that the process should be faster and simplified in order to prevent things like that happening. It might help the costs as well.

Why should the government put in our own tax money in order to "speed up" the citizenship process?

The citizenship fees and payments received should fund the entire program itself. If they ran it like a real business then this shouldn't be an issue. The government shouldn't have to put money into it at all. You don't need fancy computers, high tech equipment of any kind or anything of that nature just to process some applications and stamp a few things here and there.
They should have considered that years ago.

So I agree with the increase - everything else is getting more expensive for US citizens, so this is just spreading the increases all across the toast. Welcome to America - the land of climbing prices where everything you want or need is expensive and crap is free.

The process involves so much more then just a few papers and stamping things here and there. The fees are outrageous.

Our nation over charges for visa's and immigration, and even passports.

:vent That's ridiculous, and makes me even madder for my family.

Thats crazy!

WOW, I'm glad I got my green card last year

Why should the government put in our own tax money in order to "speed up" the citizenship process?

The citizenship fees and payments received should fund the entire program itself. If they ran it like a real business then this shouldn't be an issue. The government shouldn't have to put money into it at all. You don't need fancy computers, high tech equipment of any kind or anything of that nature just to process some applications and stamp a few things here and there.
They should have considered that years ago.

So I agree with the increase - everything else is getting more expensive for US citizens, so this is just spreading the increases all across the toast. Welcome to America - the land of climbing prices where everything you want or need is expensive and crap is free.

The higher the fees are set and the harder the process is, the higher the number of illegal immigrants there will be. At the moment it's infinitely easier to just come to the country and outstay your welcome than to go through the immigration process. The govt. putting money into making the immigration process easier could be seen as an investment - if they put in a little money now it could save them a whole lot of money (in sorting out a much bigger illegal immigration problem) later.

Did you know that if you(non American) invest more than 1 million dollar into the country, you automatically get the greencard and so does your close family members.

Why should the government put in our own tax money in order to "speed up" the citizenship process?

The citizenship fees and payments received should fund the entire program itself. If they ran it like a real business then this shouldn't be an issue. The government shouldn't have to put money into it at all. You don't need fancy computers, high tech equipment of any kind or anything of that nature just to process some applications and stamp a few things here and there.
They should have considered that years ago.

So I agree with the increase - everything else is getting more expensive for US citizens, so this is just spreading the increases all across the toast. Welcome to America - the land of climbing prices where everything you want or need is expensive and crap is free.

It's not the speeding up that matters, it's the complication of trying to apply for the greencard. You don't have to go through the process so you wouldn't know what to expect. It's a long, tiring and painful(the waiting for acceptance) process. While others take the easy way and just overstay their visit in the country, others like for example us who are married to the military have to go through a long process just to do it the legal way. It's also the stigma of people assuming that you are only marrying an American because of the greencard and citizenship. FIL still thinks I married DH because of greencard. Not everyone married an american to get the greencard. I can assure you I never even thought about applying for the greencard until DH told me that we might be heading back to the States straightaway when he gets back from deployment so we had to start the process before he left.

And by they way, if they stop doing the greencard lottery then maybe they wouldn't need to increase the price because of "free" greencard being given away if you win the lottery. That's your "TAX" money being put to used. And just for your info, it's also my tax money since I pay American taxes having work in the country before.

If the immigration process was easier (as in faster, more efficient and not this ridiculously expensive) I truly believe that the problem of illegal immigration would be nowhere near what it is at the moment. Considering all the red tape, the lack of transparency and long waiting periods, not to mention the many times rude employees at the USCIS, it is IMO no wonder how many people give up and simply fall through the cracks.

I agree. And if you are not American, they feel they have to be even more rude to you.

In most countries, to apply for the passport and receive it takes a day to a week. When I applied DS American passport, I was told it will take 8 weeks!!! The german passport takes 1 week only. And the German passport is cheaper than the American too.

Well - I agree with others, if the program is so complicated and time consuming that it can't sustain itself with it's OWN revenue then they need to simplify it.
They don't need to put in MORE man hours and MORE effort - they need to work on simplifying it.

It's not an issue of money - it's an issue of management.

You can dump as much money you want into any program or business - it will only help if the people in charge handle it properly.

I still agree with the increase, though - but I do think they should do it slowly over time, just like everything else.
But - the article doesn't say when people paid $350 or whatever, and when they started paying $1000. It honestly comes across - from how they wrote it - that it took place over a very short time...like a few years or even overnight.

Because, to become a citizen of any country - I would expect it to cost an arm and a leg if I was doing it. It costs me far more than a few thousand to have my kids.

And don't tell me that if it was cheaper and quicker we'd have less illegals - a lot of these illegals aren't going to make the effort regardless. Some will, but not all.

I'm not too sure on how to feel about this.
My oldest brother is in the process for citizenship and it's costing him almost $1000 with all the processing, paperwork, plus he's trying to get his passport all at the same time. My dad did the test around 3 times (some of the questions are hard!), so yeah, it can be expensive.

I went to the citizenship office in New Orleans when my parents went to do their test and the employees were so rude and angry to everyone.