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The USCIS (the former Immigration and Naturalization Service) is a US government agency that functions without funding from the government - it gets all of its
by KKKKkkkk1 11y ago
The USCIS (the former Immigration and Naturalization Service) is a US government agency that functions without funding from the government - it gets all of its money from the fees and penalties paid by the people who require its services. Based on your story, I'm wondering if the TSA has a similar business model.
- firebird84 11y agoThat sounds about right. I married a foreigner - costs $1500 and about 6 months to process the paperwork that lets her stay. I got sticker shock when I first learned that. I've never before seen government fees that high.
- emodendroket 11y agoThe wait times are way up now.
- kogepathic 11y ago> costs $1500 and about 6 months to process the paperwork that lets her stay Really not cool. Probably justify it by saying it takes a lot of time to process paperwork (that they created the requirement for in the first place...) Did you know that it also now costs $2350 for someone to renounce their US citizenship? It also takes an undefined amount of time (typically 12+ months) and they publish your name online on a State Department shame list of ex-Americans. A decade ago, it was free to renounce your US citizenship. Around 2009 they started charging $450, and then suddenly raised the fee to $2350 in 2014.
- nitrogen 11y agoRegarding your last paragraph, maybe something else is in the pipeline that depends on it being difficult to renounce citizenship?
- serge2k 11y agoBecause people were renouncing to avoid the IRS, since US tax laws are completely screwed up.
- Scoundreller 11y agoPainful for those not trying to avoid taxes. A drop in the bucket for those trying to avoid taxes...
- CrazyCatDog 11y agoRevoking citizenship is a costly exercise. It was previously subsidized by all tax-payers, now it isn't. Not that it matters to the price/cost of doing it, but what do you think are the most common reasons for forfeiting US citizenship? I suspect it's tax-evasion.
- 2a0c40 11y agoPlease read this: http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2011/12/14/about-the-isaac-brock-society/ http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2011/12/14/about-the-isaac-brock...
- themartorana 11y agoThat's fucked up.
- the_mitsuhiko 11y ago> what do you think are the most common reasons for forfeiting US citizenship? I suspect it's tax-evasion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_American https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_American
- themartorana 11y agoDespite their lack of personal or business ties to the United States, accidental Americans have the same U.S. tax filing and payment obligations... There's a business model! Claim someone is a citizen, boom they owe taxes!
- gnopgnip 11y agoMany of the services USCIS runs are dependent on the local American Consulate. It is relatively cheap when you compare it to what a lawyer would charge for similar services. Most of the support staff could be better paid working in the private sector.