How not to solve the immigration "crisis"

Making it harder to become "legal."

DALLAS (AP) -- The fees immigrants pay for citizenship and permanent residency petitions will rise as officials try to prevent more backlogs in the system, the director of the nation's immigration service said Tuesday.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Emilio Gonzalez said the amount of the increases is still being determined, but expects it to be significant.

''I envision that it'll go up a fair amount,'' he said during a visit to Dallas. ''We're a business. We're not allowed to be deficient.''

Currently, immigrants applying for citizenship pay $330 or $325 for permanent residency documentation known as a ''green card.'' Applicants also pay a $70 fingerprinting fee. They could see the new prices for immigration petitions by April, Gonzalez said.

Citizenship and Immigration Services processes applications for citizenship, permanent residence, work permits and other immigration documents. During the past few years, the agency has been working through a backlog that kept some immigrants waiting up to three years for green cards or citizenship.