If the U.S. government makes new offers, the cost of becoming a U.S. citizen could become quite high. Trump administration Finally approved.
The rule, released for public comment on Monday, represents a significant change in federal policy as it attempts to align naturalization fees with what the Department of Homeland Security calls the “full cost” of processing an application.
This includes enhanced screening and vetting measures introduced under recent executive orders, Newsweek reported.
Concerns about citizenship fees
These changes will affect hundreds of thousands of legal permanent residents each year.
Critics warn it could make the path to citizenship more difficult for low-income applicants and spend a larger share of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services operating expenses directly on those seeking naturalization.
“While USCIS is primarily a fee-based agency that must recoup its operating costs, a significant increase in naturalization fees could turn citizenship into an inaccessible benefit for those with limited financial resources,” said Adam Klein, a former Department of Homeland Security official and co-founder of Globali.ai. Tell newsweek
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He also highlighted the wider implications of citizenship and the potential impact of increased fees.
“Naturalization has historically been encouraged as a public policy issue because citizens tend to experience greater economic mobility, civic engagement, and long-term integration. Higher fees could undermine these goals,” Klein added.
Proposed naturalization fee increase
Under the rules published in the Federal Register on Monday, the cost of applying for U.S. citizenship will increase by 75%. The proposal will not take effect for at least 60 days after it is published because it must first go through a required public comment period, the proposal outline states.
In the draft rule, DHS proposed increasing the general document application fee from $760 to $1,330. This represents an increase of $570, equivalent to a 75% increase in current application costs.
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The fee for petitioning the appeals board for reconsideration would also rise significantly, from $830 to $1,475 under the proposed rule, an increase of $645, or about 77.7 percent, under the proposed rule.
Department of Homeland Security Defense Fee Changes
A Department of Homeland Security official told newsweek The proposed changes are part of a routine overhaul of the fee structure, recognizing that current fees do not fully cover the costs of processing applications.
The official further said that naturalization is considered the “most important” immigration benefit that can be given to immigrants.
