Citizenship applications climb despite fee hike

The number of citizenship applications received in the Los Angeles area tripled in September compared with the same period last year, despite a
major application fee increase that immigration experts feared could drastically set back demand.

Nationwide, citizenship applications also increased in August and September compared with last year, according to new figures from the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The applications are on track to surpass the 1-million mark, a milestone reached only twice in the last century -- both times in the mid-1990s. That's
when many illegal immigrants who received amnesty in the 1980s became eligible for citizenship, and a political backlash against them motivated
many to apply.