Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Before naturalization, would-be citizens must take an oath of allegiance to the United States, swearing, among other things, that they will defend the country, that they renounce foreign loyalties and, finally, that they "take this obligation freely."

It is an obligation they will take freely, after paying, as of yesterday, at least $595.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) substantially raised application fees for a variety of things, including bringing a relative to the United States and international adoption.

The increases -- which stem from a 2004 Government Accountability Office report on the agency -- are intended to reduce the typical waiting and processing time by 20 percent and to update technology.

"We're driving a 1980s car, and we've been buying piecemeal fixes to maintain it," said USCIS spokeswoman Chris Rhatigan.

Not everyone wanted to go in on the new car. To beat the fee-increase rush, 711,538 people applied for citizenship between October 2006 and May 2007, up from the 466,931 who applied during that period the year before.

"We know people were trying to avoid the fees," Rhatigan said, "but we also know that many people filed for citizenship recently because this is the best place in the world to live."

-- Rachel Dry * * *

A closer look at the increases:

Application to register for permanent residence or adjust status (e.g., from green-card holder to citizen):

$930 -- up from $325

Ap plication for naturalization

$595 -- up from $330

Petition for an alien relative

$355 -- up from $190