Annette V. Speaks, customer assistance office supervisor, made this clarification to Rabby Syed, United Workers Movement president.
“Unfortunately, our Nov. 4, 2010, response to you erroneously suggested that this matter might require legislative change and therefore incorrectly suggested that you may wish to contact your member of Congress,” she said in a letter to Syed dated Nov. 23.
Speaks said the request for a fee waiver for advance parole applications is not a matter that requires a statutory change.
“While individuals are of course free to contract members of Congress as they may see fit, it is not our intention at USCIS to create any appearance of recommending whether they do so or not regarding any particular matter of policy or possible legislation,” she said.
In an interview, Syed said it is important that they get the right information from USCIS.
Speaks said USCIS is a primarily fee-based organization with about 90 percent of its budget coming from fees paid by applicants and petitioners for immigration benefits.
The remaining funds come from appropriations provided annually by the U.S. Congress, she said.
The new fee schedule based on the latest fee review took effect on Nov. 23, 2010, she added.
Because of the necessity of recovering costs, the new fee regulations still require a fee to be filed when an individual applies for an advance parole using the Form I-131 application.
“While we are not in a position to adopt your suggestions at this time, we appreciate your bringing it to our attention and will keep your concerns in mind as we move forward with the implementation of the federal immigration law in the CNMI,” she said.
Syed said he is hoping that guest workers will continue to persevere in their quest for improved immigration status.
“On behalf of the guest workers I am also praying that God will continue to bless us and I wish the entire community a Merry Christmas and a promising New Year.”
This January, Syed said, they will send to President Obama an appeal to extend parole-in-place protection to the legal aliens in the CNMI.
More than 2,000 signatures were collected for the petition, he said.
