High Fees Shouldn't Limit Access To Relief.

This fundraiser is organized by The Legal Aid Society.

Tax deductible

About U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Filing Fees

Immigration filing fees remain extremely high, and for certain applications fee waiver requests are either not possible or are routinely denied. To provide just a few examples:

Family-based applications cost $1,760, and these fees cannot be waived.
Waivers of certain grounds of inadmissibility cost $930, and in certain circumstances these fees cannot be waived. Without the inadmissibility waivers, our clients will be denied the immigration relief they seek.
A Petition For Review to the federal circuit courts (if a case is denied by the Board of Immigration Appeals) costs $500. Fee waiver requests are often denied.

For many Legal Aid Society clients, all of whom are low-income, the high cost of these applications effectively bars or delays them from seeking meritorious immigration defenses or benefits. Your donation will help ensure that a lack of financial resources does not prevent our clients from applying for immigration defenses or benefits for which they are eligible.

For example, a $110 donation would cover the cost of one appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and would help us ensure that no one is denied their right to challenge an unjust order of deportation because of inability to pay.

The COVID pandemic has been especially difficult economically for our immigrant clients, since most have been excluded from stimulus and support programs. Assistance with fees now is particularly important.

Thank you for your support of this campaign and for our communities.

About The Legal Aid Society

For over 140 years, The Legal Aid Society has defended the rights of immigrant New Yorkers. Today, we are proud to stand among a growing community of advocates and activists who are pushing back on the Trump administration's actions that threaten the livelihood and stability of immigrant families across the city. From our campaign to keep ICE out of the courts to our defense of immigrant children who have been separated from their parents, we remain steadfast in defense of the rights of all immigrants - regardless of where they come from.

As a provider of wraparound legal and support services for New York City's most vulnerable, The Legal Aid Society understands that the needs of our clients extend beyond legal assistance.

For clients of The Legal Aid Society's Immigration Law Unit, the cost to file immigration applications can be a heavy burden with fees averaging around $750 per person. This is an unbelievable ask for anyone, but especially for marginalized immigrants who struggle with covering day-to-day expenses for their families. Your support of this campaign will have a direct impact, helping to keep immigrant New Yorkers at home with their families.

Throughout this campaign, we will provide updates on our progress.

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