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Immigration adjusts rate for undercharged fees
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Posted on Jun 06 2006
The Division of Immigration has started collecting Immigration fees that, according to Immigration director Melvin Grey, were erroneously undercharged for several years by prior administrations.
Grey told the Saipan Tribune yesterday that the collection that they started Monday would result in about $1.08 million in annual government revenues.
Grey said that for several years the Immigration registration fees have erroneously been undercharged in the amount of $75 per each initial and renewal application.
He pointed out that the law states that Immigration registration fees, including the $25 deportation fee, should be $100.
He said that previous administrations reduced the payments to only $25.
Grey said they had to work with the Treasury Department to make the receipts more explicit so the people will understand what they are paying for.
“Right not it’s been confusing for everybody and we want to get down there, showing that the annual immigration fee is $25 and the processing fee is $100, which includes the deportation fee of $25,” he told Tribune earlier.
The director projected they would collect approximately $1 million in the next 12 months based on the numbers that they have been processing in recent months, which is approximately 300 renewals and new applications combined.
“These are the fees that are implemented by the law to be $100, but the prior administrations had reduced it verbally and that what’s going on. But statutorily it supposed to be $100 so we are going to be in line with the statute. That’s not a new fee; it is just recognizing what is appropriate with what’s supposed to be,” Grey said.
Under Grey’s leadership, Immigration has also started collecting past-due registration fees from those having immediate relative status. He said they expect to collect $50,000 per year from this.
