Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet announced that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will waive fees associated with re-issuing documents, such as visas and green cards, lost in the Marshall Fire. The announcement comes after Bennet requested the fee waiver last week.
“Many victims of the Marshall Fire, rightly so, are still in shock and grappling with how they will move forward from this disaster after losing their homes. The tremendous news that USCIS will waive the fees to replace essential documents like visas and green cards will take one burden off their shoulders,” said Bennet. “I’ll continue to do everything I can to ensure the federal government is an effective partner as we rebuild.”
USCIS is working to finalize the Marshall Fire fee waiver. As the process is finalized, Coloradans can request a fee waiver for special situations HERE in the interim. Fire victims who have lost passports, military discharge papers, Medicare or social security cards in the fire can also contact Bennet’s office for help obtaining replacements.
Representatives from the USCIS Field Office, as well as the offices of Bennet, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, and U.S. Representative Joe Neguse, are onsite at the Boulder County Disaster Assistance Center to offer assistance. The Assistance Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week at 1755 South Public Road in Lafayette.
A full list of resources available to victims of the Marshall Fire — including mental and behavioral health care resources, free telehealth care resources, insurance information, information on applying for FEMA assistance, U.S. Small Business Administration assistance, and disaster unemployment assistance — is available HERE.