SO Unfair

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I would like to know who told you these people at USCIS work only from the funds paid by the fees charged from us the customer?? There is not a US Government that has ever operated from fees charged. If our present President could pull off something like that it would be a slam dunk reelection)))

Here you go- details: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=5be73dc5cb93b210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=5b33aca797e63110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD

partial quote:

USCIS is a primarily fee-based organization with about 90 percent of its budget coming from fees paid by applicants and petitioners for immigration benefits. The law requires USCIS to conduct fee reviews every two years to determine whether it is recovering its costs to administer the nation’s immigration laws, process applications, and provide the infrastructure needed to support those activities. Remaining funds come from appropriations provided annually by Congress. The final fee rule concludes a comprehensive fee review begun in 2009.

USCIS’s Fee-based Budget

Fees account for approximately $2.4 billion of USCIS’s $2.8 billion budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2011. More than two-thirds of the budget supports the adjudication of applications and petitions for immigration benefits at USCIS field offices, service centers, customer service call centers and records facilities. The remainder supports USCIS business transformation efforts and the funding of headquarters program offices.

The adjudication areas supported by fees include the following:

• Family-based petitions - facilitating the process for close relatives to immigrate, gain permanent residency, travel and work;
• Employment-based petitions - facilitating the process for current and prospective employees to immigrate to or stay in the U.S. temporarily;
• Asylum and refugee processing - adjudicating asylum and processing refugees;
• Naturalization - adjudicating eligibility for U.S. citizenship;
• Special status programs - adjudicating eligibility for U.S. immigration status as a form of humanitarian aid to foreign nationals; and
• Document issuance and renewal - verifying eligibility for, producing and issuing immigration documents.

USCIS’s fee revenue in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 was much lower than projected, and fee revenue in fiscal year 2010 remains low. While USCIS did receive appropriations from Congress and made budget cuts of approximately $160 million, this has not bridged the remaining gap between costs and anticipated revenue. A fee adjustment, as detailed in the final rule, is necessary to ensure USCIS recovers the costs of its operations while also meeting the application processing goals identified in the 2007 fee rule.

[unlockingsky 94]

..............

So here we are....we, the law abiding folks get kicked to the back of the queue, while the folks whose parents break the law and enter illegally, now get rushed to the front of the line. Fantastic! Way to go, Obama! You sure will win my USC spouses's vote!

just wait till this executive order gets overturned. then ice will have a nice list to work with...

[SOflaherty 40]

So in short, the higher the number of people that can apply, the higher the number of workers USCIS can hire, which would ultimately balance out or improve processing times even with all those new applications.

[Ron-Tanya 23]

Actually, I believe this was a requirement set up by President Bush when USCIS became part of Homeland Security. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, it is so. Between 95 to 98% of USCIS funding comes from the fees paid by users. While I don't have the link at hand to the actual law in the Federal Register, here is a link to a news story based on the news release from USCIS in 2009 explaining why the fees were increasing because USCIS is mandated by law to be self-supporting from their fees and there had been a drop in applications. It is the only federal department that has this requirement:

http://articles.lati...ocal/me-immig24

To quote partially from the article:

I sure don't want to get or start a heated argument, but having spent my entire life working for the US Government and the last position was in Homeland Security which USCIS falls under there is no way it operates on the fees it collects. Can you imagine how much money it cost to do a background check on a forgein national? Pres. Bush may well have said the agency should support it self, but if you go back and read he was talking about the screeners at the airport TSA would support thier self by the fees collected from each each passenger for each leg flown. THat did not work either.But I thank you for all your useful info I have read in the short time I have been a member here, Thanks

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I sure don't want to get or start a heated argument, but having spent my entire life working for the US Government and the last position was in Homeland Security which USCIS falls under there is no way it operates on the fees it collects. Can you imagine how much money it cost to do a background check on a forgein national? Pres. Bush may well have said the agency should support it self, but if you go back and read he was talking about the screeners at the airport TSA would support thier self by the fees collected from each each passenger for each leg flown. THat did not work either.But I thank you for all your useful info I have read in the short time I have been a member here, Thanks

Read my post with the second link. It contains the actual Fact Sheet from USCIS stating that 90% of their funds come from filing fees with the remaining 10% from Congressional appropriations. It is the only federal Department required to do so. The rest of Homeland Security is funded through tax based dollars.

http://www.uscis.gov...0004718190aRCRD

Edited June 24, 2012 by Kathryn41

[issha2lynden 77]

I would like to know who told you these people at USCIS work only from the funds paid by the fees charged from us the customer?? There is not a US Government that has ever operated from fees charged. If our present President could pull off something like that it would be a slam dunk reelection)))

There are articles written about it. You might try Wikipedia it also says USCIS work as an independent government agency operates from customers fees charged whether we believe it or not at least that's what the agency claims.

[unlockingsky 94]

gov can be full of miss-information too..

[rlogan 2,036]

Some think marrying a teenager at fifty is unfair.

My wife likes to say "Beauty has a Price".

[alex and astrid 38]

I honestly don't care how long it takes to process my ROC. My life is carrying on as normal, just as it did before I filed. If I don't get approved before January next year, I'll file my N400. No need to get annoyed.

God forbid that people be given a chance at the American Dream that we have all been given....

[TBoneTX 45,292]

just wait till this executive order gets overturned

This is an overlooked point. The media and the illegal-supporters are acting as though this amnesty is a done deal. The fact is that 0bama can executive-order the urgency or criteria level of deportation or nondeportation of any group. However, he cannot order eligibilities for a class of individuals that had no eligibility before, unless Congress first amends existing immigration law. Few have pointed this out.

[Wyatt's Torch 45]

I don't think there's much reason to be concerned at this point. I'll be concerned after waiting for a year or so, because that will mean that my extension letter will be close to expiring. But until that extension letter expires (which is potentially fifteen months after filing), there is literally NO reason to be concerned. We're permanent residents in America, able to go about our daily business without penalty.

[Peter_Pan 661]

So in short, the higher the number of people that can apply, the higher the number of workers USCIS can hire, which would ultimately balance out or improve processing times even with all those new applications.

The higher the number of petitions to be processed. Increasing the fees might speed up the whole process.

[newlyweds2010 208]

If you apply for ROC and after a year they haven't processed your application, can you apply straight to be naturalized at the 3-year mark?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

If you apply for ROC and after a year they haven't processed your application, can you apply straight to be naturalized at the 3-year mark?

Yes, as long as you meet all of the criteria - still married to the same US citizen, have been married at least 3 years when you apply even if you haven't had your green card for the full three years (you'll be within 90 days), etc.. The naturalization itself would have to wait until you actually had your green card the full three years but you can do the rest of the process during those 90 days prior to the green card anniversary date. It does tend to be the fastest part of the whole process for most immigrants.

Edited June 24, 2012 by Kathryn41

[ValerieA 350]

Actually, I believe this was a requirement set up by President Bush when USCIS became part of Homeland Security. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, it is so. Between 95 to 98% of USCIS funding comes from the fees paid by users. While I don't have the link at hand to the actual law in the Federal Register, here is a link to a news story based on the news release from USCIS in 2009 explaining why the fees were increasing because USCIS is mandated by law to be self-supporting from their fees and there had been a drop in applications. It is the only federal department that has this requirement:

http://articles.lati...ocal/me-immig24

To quote partially from the article:

Not to nit-pick, but USPS is self-supporting, also.