Here I go again...

OK, bear with me. I know you may not be interested in my political rantings but I guess you don't have to continue reading if you're irritated by this kind of stuff. It has come to my attention that the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) published a Notice of Proposed Rule Making in the Federal Register that would substantially raise adoption/immigration filing fees for most types of cases. If the proposed rule is adopted, filing fees would increase by an average of 66% over current fees. The proposed rule is subject to a 60-day comment period that ends on April 2, 2007. At the end of the comment period, USCIS will review and consider the comments it has received on its proposed rule. USCIS will then send its final proposal to the Office of Management and Budget for review. The OMB will make a final decision on the fee increase and issue the final rule.

Adoption is expensive enough already, and it is unconscionable to raise fees by up to 66% for adoption-related petitions. This can be fought, but it needs action by everyone. Fortunately, the "adjusted" fees will not take effect until the public has an opportunity to comment. The comment period is 60 days beginning February 1, 2007, and ending on April 2, 2007. That means we have less than a week to voice our objections.

Comments must be received by April 2, 2007, and must reference the agency name (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), as well as the docket number (USCIS-2006-0044). Comments may be submitted at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main, the Federal Rulemaking Portal, or via mail or courier, in hardcopy, disk, or CD-ROM form to:

Director, Management Division U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Department of Homeland Security

111 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, 3rd Floor

Washington D.C. 20529

Please consider supporting families and children by objecting to this proposal. If you are wondering why I feel so strongly about this issue please see my previous posts: Angel Baby, Adoption.