Fees for filing immigration documents going up

If you’re an immigrant, and you need to file one of the government forms required for work permission, or to get a travel document, or for an “immigrant investor” visa, you’re facing some higher costs as of  Friday.

For the first time in six years, application and petition fees charged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — under the Department of Homeland Security — are going up. With the fee hikes, the naturalization application will now cost $640, an increase of $45. 

The “Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur” — to come live and invest in the U.S. — will double to more than $3,600. The government cites rising costs for fraud detection, national security and customer service as the reason for the increases, which average 21 percent.