Increasing Immigration Fees: I-600A and Certificate of Citizenship

FYI..
Are you planning on submitting immigration paperwork anytime before the end of the year? If so, you'd be wise to get moving soon on this paperwork. The USCIS has announced a hike in immigration application fees starting July 30. These new fee increases will affect most adoptive families at two points: when they are submitting their I-600A, and when they are applying for a certificate of citizenship for their children.


The fee for the I-600A Orphan Petition will increase from $545 to $750. The fingerprint fee (or biometric fee, as they now call it) has increased from $70 per applicant to $80. You will need to pay that $80 fee for each person 18 or older living in your household with you. One small good thing about this rate hike, though: the $750 orphan petition fee now includes the fingerprinting fee for one applicant. So you will only have to pay the $80 fee for the second parent and any other adults living in the home.

Keep in mind that many immigration offices will allow you to submit the I600A without a complete homestudy. So if your homestudy is not complete and it is close to the end of July, I would recommend submitting the I600A without the homestudy, thus avoiding that increased fee. Of course they will not issue your I171H without the homestudy, but at least you will have avoided the higher fee.