The New York Times recently published an editorial questioning the increasing costs of immigration on the individuals who are seeking immigration benefits. The USCIS recently announced another increase in filing fees. These increases are due to the budget shortfall that the agency faces. Over 90% of the agency’s budget is financed by the fees it collects and when applications are down, its revenue goes down. Unfortunately, with the increasing fees, applications are likely to go down even further and the agency will soon face another shortfall.
Given the many benefits that immigrants have on the American economy, perhaps it is time to rethink the notion that fees should be the major source of funding the agency. A little better funding of the agency will hopefully lead to better and more efficient processing of immigration petitions.