Proposed Fee Increases for USCIS

23
Jun

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed a fee increase for some of their services, including those that will affect adoptive families. USCIS has announced these fees in the Federal Registrar for public comment. The proposed fee increases can be found here.

The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) was kind enough to put together an easy-to-read table outlining the proposed increases that impact adoptive families, which you can see below:

 

Immigration benefit request

Current Fee Proposed Fee  

Increase

Percent Change
I-600/600A/800/800A $720 $775 $55 8%
I-800A Supp. 3 Request for Action on Approved Form I-800A $360 $385 $25 7%
N-600/N-600K Application for Certificate of Citizenship $600 $1170 $570 95%

 

I-600Of particular concern is the proposal by USCIS to increase the Application for Certificate of Citizenship by 95%. This will specifically impact families whose children arrive in the United States on an IR4 or IH4 visa. If your child(ren) arrives on an IR3 or IH3 visa, you should receive the Certificate of Citizenship in the mail and would not need to file or pay the fee. Typically, if a family does not see the child prior to adoption or at the time of the legal adoption in their country of origin, or if the parents receive guardianship as opposed to adoption, the child would receive an IR4 or IH4 visa. For our country programs, children from Samoa and DR Congo typically receive IR4 visas, unless the family travels to the country to visit with the child prior to the adoption being completed or travels to attend court. Children adopted from Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Ukraine will typically receive an IR3 or IH3 visa and should automatically receive a Certificate of Citizenship in the mail. The Certificate of Citizenship is needed to show proof of citizenship after an adopted child is in the US. Families must obtain a Certificate of Citizenship to safeguard the rights and best interests of their adopted children.

Our team will be posting comments opposing the increases, and we encourage you to do so as well. Leaving a comment is very easy; just click here, and then click on the “Comment Now” button on the upper-right of the screen. When making a comment, it is important to clearly state that you disagree with the proposed rule and your reasons why. The deadline to leave a comment is July 5th.

If you have any further questions about how these proposed increases might affect you, please feel free to contact us.

Nicole Skellenger works as MLJ Adoptions’ Chief Executive Officer and Adoption Attorney. Nicole has spent time in orphanages with children who have nothing and are desperate for affection and has committed herself to using her skills to create better futures for these deserving children.

Nicole Skellenger works as MLJ Adoptions’ Chief Executive Officer and Adoption Attorney. Nicole has spent time in orphanages with children who have nothing and are desperate for affection and has committed herself to using her skills to create better futures for these deserving children.