Action Alert

For Immediate Release Contact: March 27, 2007 Helly Lee: 202-667-4690, helly@searac.org or Cat Nou: 916-428-7769, cat@searac.org

Deadline Approaching for Comments to USCIS on Proposed Fee Increases!

The office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a devastating 69% fee increase to obtain U.S. citizenship as well as an overwhelming 66% average fee increase for other immigration and naturalization forms! The burden of these rising costs poses great barriers and essentially denies many refugees and immigrants access to their goals of the American dream and of opportunities to integrate into American society.

Did You Know?

• Many new refugees and immigrants live at or below the poverty level because they are forced into low wage, unskilled labor professions. These fee increases will prove to be detrimental for families who will have to choose between the immediate needs of providing for their family or paying for application fees to achieve their dreams of becoming citizens and permanent residents.
• The increased fees may further prolong the citizenship process for many including elderly and disabled refugees who receive SSI benefits who must attain citizenship within seven years to remain eligible. The inability to obtain their citizenship after the allotted timeframe will result in the termination of their benefits—a lifeline for many.

What You Can Do

The deadline for submission of comments is Monday, April 2nd, 2007! We strongly urge you to submit formal comments to the office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to be included in the Federal Register. Please note docket number, USCIS-2006-0044, in a subject line in your comments! Provided are sample comments prepared by the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) which you may use/edit for your own use. You may choose any of the following options to submit your comments:

• AAJC Action Center: http://capwiz.com/napalc/issues/alert/?alertid=9555671&type=CU. Easiest option to access, edit and send using already prepared sample comments.
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• E-mail: OSComments@dhs.gov. Include the docket number: USCIS-2006-0044 in the subject line of the message.
• Facsimile: Federal eRulemaking portal at 866-466-5370.
• Mail:
  Director, Regulatory Management Division
  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
  Department of Homeland Security
  111 Massachusetts Avenue, NW., 3rd Floor
  Washington, DC 20529.

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SEARAC is a national organization advancing the interests of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans through leadership development, capacity building, and community empowerment. We were founded in 1979 as the Indochina Refugee Action Center (IRAC) to facilitate the relocation of Southeast Asian refugees into American society and foster the development of nonprofit organizations led by and for Southeast Asian Americans. We serve as a coalition-builder and leader, carry out action-oriented research projects, and strengthen the capacity of community-based organizations such as mutual assistance associations (MAAs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs). We also foster civic engagement among Southeast Asian Americans, and represent our communities at the national level in Washington, DC.