Seattle succeeds with initial injunction in federal immigration case

Monday a federal judge blocked an immigration policy. The proposed change would have made it harder for green card holders to qualify for fee waivers when they applied for citizenship.

The fee for that naturalization process is $725; about 40% of all immigrant applicants usually get those fees waived.

In the past, if a permanent resident used public benefits (like SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid) they would also be eligible for a fee waiver.

The policy change from U.S. Customs and Immigration Services went into effect December 2.

Advocates said the policy change created yet another barrier for low-income immigrants. Then Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Maxine Chesney issued a nation-wide injunction blocking the change.

That means green card holders can still apply for fee waivers.

In a statement, Mayor Jenny Durkan said, “Wealth is not and should never be a requirement of being an American citizen.”

USCIS said those fee waivers were affecting the agency's budget as fee revenues make up most of their budget.

Another similar proposal would eliminate fee waivers, raise the cost of DACA applications, and charge asylum seekers a filing fee.