According to the Bureau of International Information Programs of the U.S. Department of State, the proposal itself does not involve a fee increase, but is part of the regulatory process by which any U.S. government agency is required to explain and justify the measures it proposes, after which the public can comment.
People who are victims of human trafficking and domestic violence will be exempt from some initial application fees. Fees will still not be charged to those applying for asylum, as well as to U.S. military personnel filing for naturalization. On a case-by-case basis, Citizenship and Immigration Services waive fees for those who are unable to pay.
Citizenship and Immigration Services are required to fully recover the costs of the benefits and services they provide. The last time the agency conducted a comprehensive review and adjustment of fees was in 1998. "Since our agency operates on a fee-funded basis, we must be able to recover the costs of managing an efficient and secure immigration system, improving service, preventing backlogs, eliminating security vulnerabilities, and ensuring necessary modernization," said Emilio Gonzalez, director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, announcing the new proposal.
Citizenship and Immigration Services propose to raise fees significantly, which will allow them to dramatically improve service, rather than continuing as before. For example, they point out that the additional revenue will reduce processing times by an average of 20%. They also plan to improve the timeliness of background checks and the ability to detect fraud.