Immigrants hoping to become U.S. citizens could soon face a significantly higher price tag under a new proposal from the Trump administration.
Why is the Trump administration hiking naturalization application fees?
The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that it is seeking to raise naturalization application fees by $570 and eliminate fee waivers and discounts that have helped lower-income immigrants complete the citizenship process, according to CBS News.
If approved, the proposal would increase the cost of a paper citizenship application from $760 to $1,330. Online applicants would see fees rise from $710 to $1,280. The administration is also proposing a substantial increase for those seeking to challenge denied citizenship requests, raising reconsideration filing costs by an additional $645.
Federal officials said the changes are needed to ensure that citizenship applications cover the full cost of processing. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for handling immigration benefits, relies primarily on filing fees rather than congressional funding to operate.
DHS moves to eliminate discounted application fees and other immigration services
In the proposal, DHS argued that previous administrations intentionally kept naturalization fees lower to encourage eligible immigrants to become citizens. The Trump administration, however, said it no longer believes citizenship applications should receive reduced pricing if doing so shifts costs onto other immigration services.
“Although DHS has historically limited the fees for (citizenship-related applications) to fulfill previous administrations’ priorities of encouraging naturalization, DHS no longer believes naturalization benefit requests should get lower fees at the potential expense of other immigration benefits,” the agency said in its proposed regulation, per CBS News.
The proposal would also eliminate existing fee waivers for citizenship applicants and end a reduced-fee option available to some households earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level. An exemption for military service members seeking citizenship would remain unchanged.
The changes are not yet final. The proposal must move through the federal rulemaking process, which includes a 60-day public comment period before any policy can be implemented.
The announcement drew criticism from immigration advocates and former government officials who argue the higher fees could make citizenship less accessible for many legal permanent residents.
Doug Rand, who previously served as a senior USCIS official during the Biden administration, said the proposal creates additional hurdles for immigrants who are already eligible to naturalize.
“The only credible explanation for jacking up citizenship fees in isolation is that Trump 2.0 is in a hurry to create even more undue barriers for legal immigrants,” Rand said, according to CBS News.
How could the changes impact green card applicants?
The fee hike proposal follows other Trump administration efforts to tighten the naturalization process and increase vetting of citizenship applicants.
The administration has also intensified efforts to identify and pursue cases involving naturalized citizens accused of obtaining citizenship through fraud or by withholding information during the application process.
Most green card holders become eligible for citizenship after three to five years and must meet residency, civics and English requirements.
In May, Blavity reported that the administration released an immigration memo stating that some green card applicants would have to leave the United States and complete the process abroad, as immigration policies have become stricter under President Donald Trump.