The cost of applying for American citizenship could nearly double under a new Trump administration proposal to hike fees as much as 80% and to stop discounting or waiving fees for the very poor.
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The administration proposed the increase Tuesday in the Federal Register.
The announcement of the plan, which also includes raising by 80% costs for reconsideration of a denied application, comes about two weeks before the U.S. celebrates its 250th birthday.
Applying for naturalization, which is part of the process for becoming a citizen, currently costs $760 if the paperwork is submitted in person, and $710 if submitted online. The administration wants to raise those costs to $1,330, a 75% hike and $1,280, an 80% hike, respectively.
It also is proposing to increase the cost of applying for a rehearing on a denied naturalization from $830 to $1,475, a 78% jump. If submitted online, the cost would go up 83%, from $780 to $1,475.
The proposal has drawn swift blowback from advocates for immigrants who said it undermines work by previous administrations to make citizenship accessible.
In its filing, the administration said that it was choosing to make the people who benefit from the service — those wanting to become citizens — bear the cost rather than have some of that cost defrayed by those with greater ability to pay.
People with incomes that are 400% below the federal poverty level pay a reduced fee of $380 to apply for citizenship. The Trump proposal would do away with the discount.
The increased costs would come on top of other fees applicants for citizenship pay, including renewal fees for green cards to maintain legal resident status.
“DHS believes there is insufficient justification” for the reduced naturalization fee, the Department of Homeland Security said in its filing.
“While naturalization is a unique benefit, so are other benefit categories and the potential benefits to and from newly naturalized citizens do not justify burdening other benefit requestors with higher fees to subsidize the reduced fee,” the administration stated.
In a news release, several advocates slammed the proposal.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the near-doubling of the fees “creates yet one more undue hurdle that burdens those who only want to be recognized in the last step of their American Dream.”
Awawdeh said that for immigrants who have “judiciously” followed the required steps to become a citizen, including passing English and civics tests, “increased fees are a burden and for some will effectively shut the door to attaining the promise of America.”
Allen Shao King, legal services director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, questioned the timing of the increase, given the recent congressional approval of a $70 billion package to fund ICE and the Border Patrol.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the part of DHS that handles naturalizations and other immigration benefits, is largely funded by fee revenue, although Congress has at times provided funding for certain projects or initiatives.
There have been rate hikes in previous administrations, including significant increases under the George W. Bush administration that had a dramatic impact on immigration from Mexico.
The public has until Aug. 24 to comment on the proposal and must do so electronically.
