The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced that fees associated with becoming an American citizen are slated to increase on April 1.
The cost of filing an Application for Naturalization form, or N-400, will rise from $640 to $760, or $725 to $760 if biometric work is required. Additionally, the overall price for filing the forms necessary for legal permanent residency, also known as the “green card” packet, will escalate from $1,760 to $3,005, as per USA Today reports.
The Department of Homeland Security's announcement stated, “USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that current fees do not recover the full cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services. DHS is adjusting the fee schedule to fully recover costs and maintain adequate service.”
Alongside the increase in overall fees, the new guidelines also extend eligibility for reduced rates, offering discounts to individuals earning below 400% of the federal poverty guideline. Filing form N-400 will now cost them $380, up from $320.
In fiscal year 2023, USCIS administered the Oath of Allegiance to over 878,500 new citizens, citing the elimination of its backlog of naturalization applications.
According to the DHS, as of January 1, 2023, there were approximately 9 million legal permanent residents in the United States eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship who had not yet done so.
