White House to Increase Immigration Costs, Impose Asylum Fee

On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security said it would increase fees for dozens of immigration and work applications, including an 81 percent increase on naturalization applications and a first-time fee for asylum applicants. The fee to claim asylum from within the U.S. is now $50, and the online naturalization applications increased from $640 to $1,160. According to the DHS statement, the naturalization fee will represent the full cost to process the application and a proportional share of overhead costs. The $275 renewal fee for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was removed, however. The changes will take effect October 2. Coverage from all sides of the political spectrum highlighted the US Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS) budget deficit and the fact that they receive most of their funding from fee collection.