USCIS' largest fee funding source, the Immigration Examinations Fee Account (IEFA), includes fees collected from immigration benefit applications and petitions. This budget anticipates an increase in revenue from the agency's proposed new fee structure announced in the Feb. 1, 2007 edition of the Federal Register.
Applicants and petitioners will see substantially improved service under this fee structure, with average processing times projected to be reduced as much as 20 percent by FY 2009 from the current average processing time of six months. This effort is bolstered by the agency's transformation from its current paper-based data systems into digital processing resources and expanded on-line services.
The proposed fee structure will also provide USCIS with the resources to secure the integrity of the U.S. immigration system to improve fraud prevention and detection efforts, and to introduce new national security enhancements to create a fair and equitable immigration system that ensures public safety.
