Immigration Officials To Double Green Card Application Fee

WASHINGTON — Immigration officials said yesterday they will proceed with plans to double the cost of applying to become a American citizen and triple the fee for seeking legal permanent residency.

The fee increases will take effect July 30. Citizenship fees will rise from $330 to $595, plus $80 for required electronic fingerprints, an increase of $10. For legal permanent residency and fingerprints the cost will be $1,010 for those over 14. The cost now is $325.

Officials with Citizenship and Immigration Services said the increases are needed to improve service, hire 1,500 workers, improve offices, equipment, and systems to process applications.

"This agency is fee-based, 99% of our budget comes from user fees. We need to be the agency people expect us to be," the director of CIS, Emilio Gonzalez, said yesterday.