Immigrating to U.S. becomes much costlier
Many fees to skyrocket by end of the month — $1,010 for a green card
Telemundo and MSNBC.com
Updated: 7:42 p.m. ET July 20, 2007

Immigrants could end up paying thousands of dollars more to enter and stay in the country after July 30, when dozens of application fees will double or even triple, sparking opposition from a broad coalition of activists and a rush by immigrants to submit their paperwork before the little-publicized changes take effect.

Altogether, 39 fees will rise an average of 66 percent, but some of the largest increases will come in charges for the most basic documents immigrants must seek. Most notably, the fee to apply for a green card, establishing legal residence in the United States, will almost triple, from $395 to $1,010.

Applying for citizenship will rise from $400 to $675. It cost $90 as recently as 1991.

The increases are expected to raise an extra $1.1 billion a year for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, which is required to cover its costs with the fees it collects from the hundreds of thousands of foreigners who seek residency and citizenship each year.

Simply put, “we need the money,â€