Trump administration proposal will increase citizenship application fee and end waivers – WBFF

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by CAITLYN FROLO | The National News Desk
WASHINGTON (TNND) — The Trump administration has introduced a new proposal to both increase application fees for legal immigrants seeking citizenship while also ending waivers for low-income applicants.
The proposed regulation (RIN: 1615-AD08) was submitted for public comment on Monday by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The plan will now charge legal immigrants $570 more in application fees, increasing the fees from $760 to $1,330 for paper applications and from $710 to $1,280 for online filings. According to the proposal, application fees asking the agency to reconsider a citizenship request denial would increase by $645.
The proposed regulations would also end fee waivers for citizenship cases, and eliminate a fee reduction option for immigrants whose household income is "at or below 400% of the federal poverty line." However, fee exemptions will remain in place for service members applying for citizenship.

Because of the government's rulemaking process, the changes will not take effect right away. The public can now comment in support or against the proposal until August 24.
According to the proposal documents, the Department of Homeland Security said the fee increases are necessary to "fully subsidize the processing of citizenship applications," as the Trump adinistration works to completely vet all applicants.
Form N400 is the application used by legal immigrants (green card holders) to apply for citizenship. Form N336 is used by applicants who have previously been denied naturalization, allowing them to challenge the decision with a hearing.

WASHINGTON – MAY 05: Permanent resident cards are stacked after being turned in by 25 people ahead of a natrualization ceremony on the National Mall May 5, 2008 in Washington, DC. Among the new citizens are electrical engineers, college students, a bus driver, a school teacher and six active members of the U.S. military from a wide range of countries including Iraq, Iran, China, Sudan and Bolivia. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"The current fees for Form N-400 and Form N-336 do not recover the full cost of thoroughly adjudicating applications for naturalization, including necessary screening and vetting checks, which USCIS is continuously enhancing consistent with the President’s Executive Orders," the proposal document reads.
In January 2025, Trump signed multiple Executive Orders related to immigration and naturalization, including Executive Order (E.O.) 14161, Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.
Section 2 of the order instructs DHS to coordinate with the Secretary of State to "vet and screen to the maximum degree possible" all aliens who are already in the United States, and identify all resources that may be used to do so.

A newly sworn in U.S. citizen poses for a picture at the conclustion of a naturalization ceremony held by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 15, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The order also instructs DHS to coordinate and "recommend any additional measures to be taken that promote a unified American identity and attachment to the Constitution, laws, and founding principles of the United States."
DHS says the fee increase and elimination of waivers would close the cost/revenue gap from the forms.
Those eligible for U.S. citizenship are legal permanent residents who have had a green card for up to five years, depending on the case. The applicants go through a review process that includes an English and civic test, as well as an evaluation of criminal history and more.
Since the start of Trump's second term, the administration has worked to strengthen the legal immigration process by adding more steps to the vetting process, including a requirement that applicants have "good moral character."

2026 Sinclair, Inc.

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