Last-minute rush for citizenship deal

Hundreds of immigrants rushed to apply for citizenship at a free workshop in central Los Angeles on Friday, many seeking to beat stiff application fee increases that take effect next week.

A throng of mostly Latino immigrants began lining up at 4 a.m. for free help filling out the applications at the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials' Educational Fund office on Washington Boulevard. By 2:30 p.m., officials began turning people away because they had reached their capacity of 1,000 applicants, said Evan Bacalao, the fund's research associate.

Application fees will increase Monday for most immigration benefits, including a hike from $400 to $675 for citizenship applications. To avoid the fee hike, applications must be postmarked by today. The full-fee schedule is posted with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at http://www.uscis.gov

Although the fee hikes drew widespread protest, the federal immigration agency said the increases would help reduce application processing times 20% by the end of the fiscal year 2009.