December 19, 2019


Dear John,

With a public comment period open until December 30, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposal to significantly increase many of its application fees is receiving significant attention.

Yet the policy changes embedded in the agency's proposed rule have been less scrutinized and may ultimately be more notable, as a new Migration Policy Institute commentary explains.

As MPI's Jessica Bolter and Doris Meissner write: "By proposing an application fee for certain asylum applicants, the elimination of most fee waivers for low-income applicants, and a rare transfer of more than $100 million out of the agency's adjudication services to fund stepped-up enforcement by another agency (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE), the Trump administration would alter key underpinnings of longstanding immigration fee policy."

The result, they argue, would likely be a reduction in the number and shift in the profile of immigrants applying for and being granted green cards or other immigration statuses. And they note the USCIS proposal represents the latest in a range of administration policies that could significantly reshape the face of legal immigration to the United States by imposing new barriers for those of more modest means.

You can read the commentary here: www.migrationpolicy.org/news/uscis-fee-hike-could-be-latest-step-reshape-immigration.

As the year draws to a close, please allow us to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in our work and to wish you joyous holidays and a great start to 2020.

Michelle Mittelstadt
Director of Communications and Public Affairs,
Migration Policy Institute

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