INS Sets $185 Fee for Alien Application

Aliens seeking legal status in the United States under the new immigration law would be charged a basic $185 application fee and package deals would be available for families, the Immigration and Naturalization Service announced today.

INS Commissioner Alan Nelson issued a list of fees at a news conference, saying they are “reasonable and fair.”

The proposed rules will be subject to public comment for 30 days following publication, an INS spokesman said.

Each adult would be charged the $185 application fee--$10 higher than the agency had first decided to charge--while there would be a $50 fee for a dependent child under the age of 18 seeking legalized status in the United States. There would be a maximum family fee of $420.

Program Begins May 5

Nelson issued the fee schedule as part of proposed regulations that will implement a new program of legal status or amnesty that will start May 5.

Nelson said the agency’s best estimate is that there will be about 2 million potential applicants seeking legal status in the United States under the new law.

Nelson said, however, that the INS is prepared to handle as many as 3.9 million applicants--an average of 150 a day at each of the 100 INS offices.

To qualify, illegal aliens must show that they entered the United States before Jan. 1, 1982, and have lived here continuously since then, with no single absence of more than 45 days and absences totaling no more than 180 days.

Certain farm workers may obtain legal status if they worked in U.S. agriculture for at least 90 days in the year ending May 1, 1986.

Register With Draft

The proposed rules also would require all male aliens 18 to 26 to register with the Selective Service System, set a $50 fee to appeal a denial of legal status and would require medical examinations, which could cost $60 to $75 each.

Under the rules, pay stubs, income-tax withholding forms, utility bills or bank statements showing U.S. residence can be used in applying. Aliens submitting false documents or making false statements may be deported or prosecuted.

Starting in June, the new rules would require all employers to ask all job applicants--including those already American citizens--for proof they are either U.S. citizens or aliens authorized to work in this country.

Threat of Deportation

Aliens who fail to apply or qualify for legal status could be deported.

Lawmakers and Latino lobbyists criticized many of the new rules as unduly restrictive, warning that the high fees would discourage some aliens from applying. However, the Administration insists the legalization program must pay for itself.

Illegal aliens who qualify would receive a six-month work permit while the government reviews their applications.