The Department of Homeland Security published a 111-page Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would dramatically raise what it costs to become a U.S. citizen. Under the rule, the filing fee for Form N-400 would jump from the current $760 (paper) / $710 (online) to $1,330 and $1,280 respectively, while the appeal on Form N-336 would rise to $1,475 (paper) / $1,425 (online). Equally significant, the agency plans to abolish the reduced-fee option for low-income applicants and to eliminate almost all fee-waiver eligibility, retaining exemptions only for current or former members of the U.S. armed forces. DHS argues that the changes are needed to achieve “full cost recovery” for the naturalization program, noting that application volumes have fallen while vetting costs have climbed. In the preamble, USCIS details a new Activity-Based Costing model that it says more accurately allocates expenses such as fraud detection, customer service, and technology upgrades. The agency projects that without new revenue, adjudication backlogs will continue to grow and system modernisation will stall. It also points out that naturalization fees have not kept pace with inflation; the last across-the-board adjustment took effect in 2020 and was partially rolled back by litigation. Immigrant-advocacy groups were quick to condemn the proposal, arguing that a 70 % increase prices citizenship out of reach for millions of lawful permanent residents and undermines integration goals. Business immigration counsel are likewise concerned: many employers absorb N-400 costs for executives transitioning to green cards; higher fees could discourage naturalisation and complicate global-mobility planning. Conversely, some large multinationals welcomed the clarity of a beneficiary-pays model, noting that predictable processing times are often worth higher fees. Practically, nothing changes yet. Stakeholders have 60 days from the rule’s publication (through early September) to submit comments via Regulations.gov. USCIS says it will review feedback before issuing a final rule, but signals that absent compelling evidence, the new schedule will appear in the FY 2027 fee rule. Employers with citizenship-assistance programmes should budget now, and naturalisation-eligible employees may wish to file before the increases take effect.
Source: Federal Register (proposed rule)
