Some Immigrants Whine over Fee Increases
Ehh, considering some illegals pay up to $70,000 to be smuggled into this country, I'm not getting overly upset about higher fees to come legally.
PHOENIX — A new immigration fee schedule went into effect nationally Monday, boosting costs for applicants seeking permanent residency, naturalization or other services, in some cases by more than 100 percent.
Under the plan, which has been hotly contested by immigration-rights advocates, fees go up by an average of 70 percent, the government said. The cost to apply for naturalized citizenship increased from $400 to $675. The application fee for a residency permit hops from around $300 to more than $1,000.
"We are required to recover our costs and we have not been recovering our costs," said spokeswoman Marie Sebrechts, who added that many immigrants will be able to apply for special fee waivers.
But some immigrant-rights advocates who have been fighting the fee increases since the government announced them earlier this year remain unconvinced.
"It raises the question of whether citizenship is being made inaccessible to people," said Kat Rodriguez, a coordinator with the Coalition de Derechos Humanos in Tucson. "Doing anything to make it harder for people to get citizenship is bad. These increases are not going to be any help to people who can't afford them." Excuse me? Doing anything to make it harder for people to get citizenship is BAD?? Ahh, you think so? Think it's too tough? Then tel them "DON'T COME," you whining jerk.
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