Trump Administration Proposes Nearly Doubling U.S. Citizenship Application Fee

The Trump administration has put forth a proposal to significantly increase the cost of applying for U.S. citizenship. The plan, introduced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeks to raise the naturalization application fee by $570, bringing the total cost for paper-based applications to $1,330, up from the current $760.

Electronic submissions will also see a substantial increase, rising from $710 to $1,280. Beyond the primary application fee, the proposal includes a $645 hike for administrative fees charged to foreign nationals seeking reconsideration of a previously denied citizenship application. A key aspect of this overhaul is the proposed elimination of fee waivers and reduced-cost programs for immigrants whose family incomes fall at or below 400% of the federal poverty level.

The DHS justified the fee increases by stating the need to fully fund the processing and technical evaluation expenses associated with naturalization applications. The department noted that while historically fees were kept lower to promote naturalization, it no longer views these applications as deserving of lower costs at the expense of other immigration benefits.

This initiative marks a departure from previous administrations' policies, which focused on maintaining accessible naturalization costs to encourage integration and facilitate access to civil rights for legal permanent residents. The proposed changes are subject to a mandatory 60-day public comment period before they can be finalized and published. This measure aligns with a broader immigration control policy that has tightened evaluation protocols for benefits and introduced measures to revoke citizenship for fraud.

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Although the Department of Homeland Security has historically limited the fees for forms to promote naturalization, the agency no longer considers that these applications should have lower costs at the expense of other immigration benefits.