US Citizenship May Soon Cost Hundreds Of Dollars More As Trump Pushes To End Most Waivers

Last Updated:June 23, 2026, 10:24 IST

Trump's administration has proposed raising US citizenship application fees by up to 80 per cent and ending most waivers, citing higher processing and vetting costs.

The Trump administration has proposed a major increase in fees for legal immigrants seeking US citizenship, arguing that applicants should bear the full cost of processing and enhanced vetting measures rather than relying on subsidies from other immigration benefit programs.

Under a proposed rule released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday, the cost of applying for naturalisation would rise by hundreds of dollars.

At the same time, fee waivers and reduced-fee options available to many low-income applicants would largely be eliminated.

The proposal is still subject to the federal rulemaking process and will undergo a 60-day public comment period before any final decision is made.

According to the proposal, the fee for filing a paper-based citizenship application would increase from $760 to $1,330, a $570 increase (75 per cent).

For applicants filing online, the fee would climb from $710 to $1,280, an increase of $570 or roughly 80 per cent.

The administration is also seeking to raise the cost of requesting reconsideration of a denied citizenship application. That fee would increase from $830 to $1,475, representing a jump of $645.

If approved, the changes would mark one of the largest increases in naturalisation-related fees in recent years.

LOW-INCOME APPLICANTS TO LOSE RELIEF OPTIONS

Beyond the fee hikes, DHS has proposed ending the reduced-fee option currently available to applicants whose household income is at or below 400 per cent of the federal poverty guidelines.

The administration also plans to eliminate fee waivers for most citizenship applicants.

Current and former members of the US armed forces seeking naturalisation would continue to qualify for fee exemptions.

Immigration advocates have warned that the move could make citizenship less accessible for many lawful permanent residents who are otherwise eligible to naturalise.

DHS DEFENDS MOVE AS COST RECOVERY MEASURE

The Department of Homeland Security said the proposed increases are aimed at ensuring that citizenship applicants cover the full cost of adjudicating their requests.

“The purpose of the proposed rule is to periodically adjust fees to recover the full cost of their adjudication," DHS said in a statement.

The department argued that current fees, established under the previous administration, fail to cover the expenses associated with processing naturalisation requests and conducting enhanced security screening.

According to DHS, “the current fees established under the previous administration fail to cover the cost of necessary screening and vetting checks under President Trump’s Executive Orders."

The proposal signals a departure from the approach adopted by previous administrations, which generally kept citizenship fees lower than the actual processing costs in an effort to encourage naturalisation.

In the proposed regulation, DHS acknowledged the policy shift, stating, “Although DHS has historically limited the fees for (citizenship-related applications) to fulfil previous administrations’ priorities of encouraging naturalisation, DHS no longer believes naturalisation benefit requests should get lower fees at the potential expense of other immigration benefits."

The department further stated that US citizenship is “the most meaningful immigration benefit" available, but argued that the costs of processing citizenship requests should no longer be subsidised by fees collected from applicants seeking other immigration benefits.

HEIGHTENED VETTING UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The fee proposal comes as the Trump administration continues to tighten legal immigration procedures alongside its broader immigration crackdown.

Reports said authorities have expanded scrutiny of citizenship applicants, including more intensive reviews of the “good moral character" requirement.

The administration has also revived neighbourhood checks, a practice under which officials speak with applicants’ neighbours and coworkers as part of background investigations.

Additional screening measures, including social media reviews in certain immigration cases, have also been introduced.

DHS maintains that these enhanced vetting procedures have increased the cost of processing citizenship applications and justify the proposed fee hikes.

For now, the proposed rule remains under review, and no changes will take effect until the federal rulemaking process is completed.

About the Author

Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has more than 10 years of experience in national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

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