US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed raising the citizenship application fee from $760 to $1,330 for paper applications and from $710 to $1,280 for online applications. The fee for appealing a denial will also increase by $645.
The plan, announced by the Trump administration on June 22, eliminates full fee waivers and reduced rates for low-income applicants. Previously, those with a total household income at or below four times the poverty line were eligible for relief. The new regulation maintains fee waivers only for military personnel.
The changes will not take effect immediately. USCIS's proposal will be open for public comment for 60 days as part of the federal rulemaking process. During this period, individuals and organizations can submit both supporting and opposing views.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that the fee increase is necessary to fully cover the processing costs of applications, noting that expenses have risen particularly due to stricter security checks introduced during the Trump era. It was highlighted that USCIS's budget is largely funded by application fees.
The department's proposal text stated: 'Previous administrations kept fees low for these applications to encourage naturalization. The current administration now considers that these applications should no longer be subsidized by other immigration services.'
Doug Rand, who held senior positions at USCIS under the Biden administration, reacted to the plan. Rand said, 'The only reasonable explanation for this sharp increase in citizenship fees is the Trump administration's desire to quickly place additional and unwarranted obstacles in front of legal immigrants.'
During the second Trump term, the 'good moral character' requirement for citizenship applications has been more actively scrutinized, and long-unused neighborhood checks have been reinstated. USCIS officers conduct interviews with applicants' neighbors and coworkers. Additionally, the administration has intensified denaturalization proceedings against individuals suspected of obtaining citizenship illegally or through fraud.
