Potential Price Increase for Naturalization Fees

The Trump Administration proposed a price increase for the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. The Department of Homeland Security stated that “current fees do not recover the full costs of providing adjudication and naturalization services,” and proposed increasing the citizenship application fee from $640 to $1,170 and the legal permanent residency fee from $1,220 to $2,195.

The Trump Administration has been trying to end the DACA program. Before the Supreme Court votes on whether the program will continue, the administration may use a price increase from $495 to $765 for DACA status renewal to limit the program. In a further effort to limit immigration, the administration is interested in transferring $207.6 million from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Previously, the fees for these applications were below estimated costs to promote naturalization; however, the recent major increase in citizenship applications, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to increase the fees by up to 83 percent. On December 16^th, the USCIS will consider public comments, which can be given from now until the December deadline.

The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is encouraging eligible immigrants to apply for naturalization before the rule goes into effect. The rule discriminates against low-income immigrants, who have stated that the price is a major reason for them not applying for citizenship. The price hike will inevitably affect these immigrants’ future hopes of applying for naturalization and will favor the wealthy.

To find out how you can apply for naturalization contact an attorney at SAPG Legal.