US plans to hike fees for immigrants and asylum seekers
The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to hike application fees for immigrants and refugees seeking to remain in the US, the administration's latest move to restrict pathways for obtaining asylum and US citizenship.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unveiled a proposed rule on Friday that would significantly increase petition fees for immigrants seeking US citizenship, for undocumented immigrants looking to renew protections from deportation and for victims of crimes who are seeking to stay in the country.
The proposal would impose a $50 application fee for asylum applications and a $490 work permit fee for all asylum seekers.
Fees for citizenship petitions would also increase from $750 to $1,170, and the amount could be higher for some immigrants.
"It's an unprecedented weaponization of government fees," Doug Rand, a White House official in former President Barack Obama’s administration, said in a statement.
The proposal would make the US one of only four nations that require asylum-seekers fleeing persecution to pay a fee for the government to process their applications.
Under the proposal, recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program would have to pay substantially more to renew their protections, with their petition fee increasing from $495 to $765.
Friday's proposal is just one of many recent changes the Trump administration has sought to implement to overhaul America’s legal immigration system and restrict access to asylum protections.
The Trump administration has enacted a series of measures attempting to curb immigration, only to be blocked by court injunctions until the underlying lawsuits can be heard.
The Trump administration has nonetheless been able to introduce policies that restrict asylum, tighten requirements for skilled-work visas and slash the number of refugees the country will accept.
Since taking office, Trump, who campaigned on restricting immigration, has slashed the number of refugees allowed into the United States, decisions decried by human rights advocates and national security experts.
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