The Trump administration has announced a proposal to increase application fees for those seeking U.S. citizenship. Legal immigrants could face an additional $570 charge. This plan also includes the removal of waivers and fee reductions for low-income applicants.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposed this new regulation, which would raise the fees for paper applications from $760 to $1,330, and for online applications from $710 to $1,280. Additionally, those seeking USCIS to reconsider a denied citizenship request would see their fees jump by $645.
While this proposal maintains fee exemptions for service members, it eliminates fee waivers in other citizenship cases and the fee reduction option for immigrants with a household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty line.
The changes are not immediate, as the proposal requires further steps in the federal rulemaking process. A 60-day public comment period will allow citizens to voice their opinions.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversees USCIS and states that these fee increases are necessary to subsidize citizenship application processing fully. This need arises from efforts to apply more scrutiny to applicants. Unlike other federal agencies, USCIS is largely funded by the fees it charges.
This initiative marks a shift from previous administrations that maintained lower fees to encourage citizenship and integration.
Historically, those eligible for U.S. citizenship are legal permanent residents who have held a green card for three to five years. To qualify, applicants must pass English and civics tests and meet other requirements, including having no serious criminal history.
As part of its broader immigration enforcement strategy, the Trump administration has moved to tighten access to legal immigration benefits. This includes additional vetting layers and heightened scrutiny of the “good moral character” requirement for citizenship.
The administration has also resumed neighborhood checks, allowing USCIS to interact with neighbors and coworkers of applicants. Furthermore, efforts to denaturalize foreign-born American citizens accused of fraudulently obtaining citizenship have intensified.