$1B Fee, But No Visas: US Immigration Policy Faces Heat

The US immigration policies drew sharp criticism for collecting fee from applicants, even when processing of the application is likely to be halted or refused.

According to a report by David J. Bier of the Cato Institute, the US authorities charged more than $1 billion from applicants whose applications are not being processed, due to policy decisions. The amount collected so has come under scanner raising concerns over fairness and transparency in the immigration system.

The collection of fee has attracted criticism as it is related to policy decisions on restricted entry, paused visa processing and stalled benefits for certain nations. Though the number of applications processed has reduced, fee collection remained the same which could mean the applicants might have been exploited of their economic sources.

In December, the US President signed an order expanding visa restrictions to citizens of 40 more countries, in addition to the existing list of 19. The restrictions are applicable to immigrant and temporary visas as well. According to information, consular officers were directed not to inform applicants in advance that they fall under these restrictions, which meant the applicants attend interviews and complete all formalities even when it is unlikely that their applications could be approved. This situation was faced by applicants from Cuba, Nigeria, Venezuela, Haiti and Iran.

In the second policy, restrictions were imposed on individuals already living in in the US. This halts the processing of applications linked to work permits, permanent residency (green cards), and immigration benefits. Under the policy, benefits granted earlier would be reviewed for re-approval.

Under a third policy, immigrant visa processing has been frozen for 75 countries. Authorities said the freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the Americans. This policy is not applicable to adopted children of US citizens but not to spouses, parents, and biological children.

Effectively, the US policies block citizens of 92 countries from receiving immigrant visas.

The US authorities, in a separate decision, halted approvals under the diversity visa (DV) lottery. Applicants can still apply and attend interviews, but no visas are being issued. Despite slowing down of the visa processing or completing stalling the processing, immigration applicants need to pay fee at various phases of the process.

The CATO Report said that full scale of the issue cannot be measured as there is limited availability of the public data. Collection of fee without providing services has raised concern about accountability in the immigration system.