USCIS to Impose Fee Increase
USCIS announced an increase in application and petitions fees of about 10 percent. The fee for adjustment of status / green card application will increase from $930 to $985, and employment authorization will increase from $340 to $380. The fee for naturalization application will not increase, and the fees for certain applications, like the fiancée petition, will even be decreased.
Economic Study on the Effect of Immigration
The Migration Policy Institute released a report written by economist Giovanni Peri of University of California, Davis that states immigration is beneficial to the US economy in the long run. Even though there may be some negative outgrowths in the short run, the overall effects in the long run as it pertains to productivity, income, and employment were positive.
Immigration Reform
It has been suggested that the government, especially the Senate Democrats, will be focusing on energy legislation more so than immigration reform. Thus, it is likely that immigration reform will happen in small steps as opposed to a quick overhaul. But advocates of immigration reform are not giving up hope.
Border Patrol Paradox
It was argued by Republican Congressmen that more troops are necessary to protect the border from violence, drugs, and guns this week. But paradoxically, it is claimed by experts that dispatching more security to the border takes away from the resources necessary to solve more pressing issues.
Effect of Immigration on the Working Population
The Center for Immigration Studies released a report saying that California had the least educated working population in the US because of immigration. This report focused on the percentage of the working population without a high school diploma and disregarded all other factors. It was censured by critics for being myopic in scope and for ignorning other positive outgrowths of immigration.
