Posted on 06/10/2007 8:13:22 AM PDT by savedbygrace
Here's a question for legal immigrants to the U. S.: How much does it cost in fees and such to become a citizen of the U. S.?
I ask because the sleeping immigration bill charges illegal immigrants a total of $5,000, and Bush calls that a penalty that means it isn't an amnesty.
So, for those who play by the rules, is the cost less than $5,000? How much?
Thanks.
My wife is a permanent resident right now. To gain that status from being on a student visa it was about $1000.00, that is just for the paperwork. We did our own paperwork so if a lawyer was involved it would have been a lot more. We also had to pay our own way for the weekend trip (about 800 miles) to do the interview with the homeland security people. Now to get citizenship is about $300.00 to file the rest of the paperwork.
However offering amnesty after illegals pay a fine is about more than money. It is essentially saying that by paying $5,000 you can wash away all your law breaking from the past. This is a slap in the face of all law abiding Americans and undermines the rule of law which is one of the cornerstones of our great nation. We teach our kids to always play by the rules and not break the law and yest our President is endorsing the behavior of law breakers by rewarding them. To me that is the crux of the problem and is a very black and white issue. NO AMNESTY for law breaking crimaliens.
But we both do it legally.
Yes. The cost is about $800 - not counting residuals such as passport photos and document searches etc.
My wife is Chinese but she came here as a citizen of Trinidad. We were married 2 days before her visa expired. After that, in order to get a Green Card we probably ended up at about the $800 figure. She is a citizen now of the USA.
The cost is probably different for someone who only wants a Green Card and I would suspect that it is less.
In my situation, Immigration spent more time investigating ME rather than her. There were numerous trips back and forth to INS, various fees and a slew of paperwork - mostly about ME. I’m glad it’s over...
I suspect that even with the $5000 amnesty fine, many won’t pay it - thus remaining illegal.
Let’s face it, if they came here illegally to begin with...
Absolutely, how long would it be before some socialist politician will start saying “You can’t expect these poor people to pay $5,000. It is just not fair”. Let’s give them a discount. Then of course someone even more “compassionate” will come along and offer a steeper discount until it becomes free. Then of course these “legals” will start getting “earned income tax credit” (EITC) an ingenious scam and your and my tax burden will go up as more people sit in the wagon which we pull.
As Rush Limbaugh has pointed out, they only have to pay the fine if they wish to become citizens. They would legally be in the US even without paying the fine.
Who among them has $5,000 to spare?
Thank you. That’s the price range I was thinking it was.
BTW, I agree with you 100%. By trying to understand the cost to legal immigrants, I’m trying to counter Bush’s argument that it isn’t amnesty.
The bill requires the system to give illegals free legal assistance, so your example of the legal fees involved is entirely appropriate. It make it an apples to apples comparison.
Please see Maneesh’s reply #3, and my reply to #3. I’d appreciate your comments in response.
They also get to pay it in installments. Who ever heard of a fine being paid in installments?
I'm sure kennedy has already started the paperwork.
This is the same with my son and his wife (from Japan). She is here as a legal resident but doesn't want to give up her Japanese citizenship, and we don't want her to. They've lived in Japan and in the states. Works for me
I think each situation is different depending on a myriad of circumstances. I was fortunate because INS sets a limit on the number of immigrants who can come here from each country. Some countries, such as China, have a zero limit - they are not accepting anyone from those countries. Not so of Trinidad. The numbers change from year to year. Europeans are at a minimum number as well. I remember INS coming to my place of employment a few years back, and removing a Polish guy who had over extended his visa.
So, I guess the cost will vary.
It is not a $5K fine! $200 for Z visa app, balance of $800 in installments.
Remaining $4,000 upon app for Permanent Residence after 8 years!
Actually a lot of them have it to spare. 10 years of paying no taxes and no insurance adds up real quick. One of the illegals in NYC when interviewed (he was 35) said that he had plans to put a bathroom in his basement so the $5000 was too much to pay in fees. All over NYC, street vendors and the cart vendors in the malls are illegals, drive fancy cars and live in nice homes. While that is not the norm, there are several million illegals that do have the $5,000 but feel they are entitled to citizenship without having to pay anything at all.
Think of how much richer you would be if you did not have to pay taxes or insurance for 10 years. I would have at least $700,000 more in the bank !
$200 for Z visa app, balance of $800 in installments.
My son met his wife when she was here on a student visa. When she finished her degree and honored her visa to return home, my son followed her legally. They married in Japan and lived there a while, and began working on her coming back here legally. They had to hire translators for the documents (she could have done it, but our government wouldn’t accept them - had to be by someone she didn’t know), hired an immigration attorney to file papers and send them correct forms, etc....not to mention at least three trips for interviews. I don’t know how many thousands of dollars they’ve spent total.
Remaining $4,000 upon app for Permanent Residence after 8 years!”
That makes it even outrageous. They essentially become legal for $200 ! They never have to apply for a green card as the Z visa could be renewed indefinitely.
Did you know that if you in Hong Kong and want to come to to the U.S, one way is to invest $1,000,000 in America and come as an investor. So in essence we are giving away something worth $1,000,000 for $200. A text book example of selling our country down the river for the cost of a bad meal in Manhattan.
“my son followed her legally. They married in Japan and lived there a while, and began working on her coming back here legally.”
Ditto here. more later.
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