DHS proposes 75% increase in fees for US citizenship paperwork
It might cost more to apply to become a United States citizen if a rule proposed by the Trump administration on Monday is enacted.
The rule posted on the Federal Register would increase the cost of applying for U.S. citizenship by 75%. The rule would be enacted at least 60 days from posting after it goes through a public comment period.
In the proposed rule, the Department of Homeland Security proposes to increase the general paper filing fee from $760 to $1,330 -- an increase of $570 or 75%.
The fee to request reconsideration before an appeals board would also increase from $830 to $1,475, a $645 or 77.7% increase, according to the proposed rule.
The proposed rule would also eliminate most fee waivers but current and former armed forces members would remain exempt from paying the fees.
"This is entirely consistent with the Trump administration's broader message of making legal immigration harder, more expensive, and less accessible, not just illegal immigration," Rosanna Berardi, an immigration lawyer based in Buffalo, New York, told ABC News. "When you simultaneously raise fees, eliminate waivers, and add new vetting layers like neighborhood checks and expanded 'good moral character' scrutiny, you are not streamlining a system. You are building walls inside it."
The proposed rule says current fees do not fully cover the cost "of thoroughly adjudicating applications for naturalization, including necessary screening and vetting checks, which USCIS [US Citizenship and Immigration Services] is continuously enhancing consistent with the President's Executive Orders."
USCIS is funded by fees paid during the process, and not through tax dollars.
The Trump administration has increased vetting for those applying for lawful permanent residence -- or a green card -- and for citizenship, including doing social media checks for those applying.
Becoming a U.S. citizen is a lengthy process that requires not only a green card or to be married to a U.S. citizen, but also a full background investigation, an interview and passing a civics test, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
