US proposes raising the citizenship application fee by 75% and ending income-based waivers

The US Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register on June 23, 2026 (placed on public inspection June 22) that would raise the cost of applying for citizenship by 75 to 80 percent and remove the income-based fee reductions and waivers that currently make the process accessible to lower-income green card holders. If the rule is finalized, the Form N-400 naturalization application fee would climb from $760 to $1,330 for paper filers and from $710 to $1,280 for those who apply online. The proposal also eliminates the $380 reduced fee available to applicants earning below 400 percent of the federal poverty guideline and removes all eligibility for fee waivers tied to income, receipt of public benefits, or financial hardship. Active and former US military members remain exempt by statute and would not be affected.

Background

Naturalization fees in the United States have gone through several revisions in recent years. USCIS fees are supposed to be self-funded through applicant payments rather than congressional appropriations, and the agency argues the current N-400 fee does not cover the full cost of adjudicating the application — a cost that has risen with expanded background checks, vetting requirements introduced under executive orders, and agency overhead. The proposed increase follows a broader pattern of fee changes the Trump administration has pursued since 2025: earlier in 2026, USCIS enacted large fee increases for a range of immigration forms under the reconciliation bill. The naturalization-specific proposal in document 2026-12542 goes further in one particular direction: it does not simply raise fees, it removes the affordability mechanisms that Congress and prior administrations put in place to keep citizenship accessible to immigrants who meet all the legal requirements but face financial hardship.

What exactly changed

The notice of proposed rulemaking covers three forms. For the N-400 (Application for Naturalization), the paper fee rises from $760 to $1,330 — a 75 percent increase — and the online fee rises from $710 to $1,280, an 80 percent increase. For the N-336 (Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings, used when USCIS has denied an N-400), the paper fee increases from $830 to $1,475 and the online fee from $780 to $1,425. The proposal also eliminates two affordability measures: the $380 reduced N-400 fee available to applicants below 400 percent of the federal poverty guideline, and the fee waiver available to applicants who can demonstrate inability to pay. DHS frames the change as a "full-cost, beneficiary-pays" approach — the applicant, not the government, should bear the cost of processing. The agency also cites expanded biometric checks and updated background-vetting requirements under recent executive orders as contributing to higher adjudication costs.

Who it affects

The proposed changes touch every green card holder who has not yet applied for citizenship and is in or approaching the eligibility window. For context: most lawful permanent residents become eligible after five years of continuous residence, or three years if married to a US citizen. Someone who arrived in the US in 2021 on a family-sponsored or employment-based visa and is now approaching eligibility would face a fee nearly double what they have been expecting. The elimination of fee waivers is the sharper edge for many families. Immigrants who have been in the US for years, hold green cards, work, pay taxes, and contribute to their communities but have not accumulated enough savings to comfortably pay $1,330 per applicant — or $2,660 for a couple applying simultaneously — will lose the mechanism that currently allows them to ask for a waiver. A household with three permanent residents each filing an N-400 would pay $3,990 under the proposed fee, compared with $2,280 today (or potentially $0 if a waiver was granted).

What this means in practice

This is a proposed rule, not a final one. Before it takes effect, DHS must accept public comments for 60 days from the June 23 Federal Register publication date — a deadline of approximately August 22, 2026 — review those comments, and publish a final rule. That process typically takes several months at minimum. The current N-400 fee remains in place until a final rule is formally published and its effective date arrives. For green card holders who were already planning to apply for citizenship, filing before the final rule takes effect is worth considering — but timing that accurately is difficult because the comment period alone runs through August 2026, and rule finalization could take well into 2027. Filing too early is rarely disadvantageous on fee grounds, but eligibility requirements (five-year or three-year residence, physical presence, English proficiency, civics test) still apply in full. For people who would have relied on the reduced fee or a fee waiver, the practical advice is to review eligibility carefully now and consult an immigration attorney about timing and whether any exemptions — primarily military service — apply. If you are currently eligible and financially able, filing under the current $760 or $710 fee before the rule finalizes removes the risk of facing the higher amount.