The Trump administration has proposed sharply increasing the cost of becoming a U.S. citizen, a move that would nearly double naturalization fees and eliminate reduced rates currently available to lower-income applicants.
The proposal, published Tuesday in the Federal Register, would raise the fee for filing a naturalization application from $760 to $1,330 for paper submissions and from $710 to $1,280 for online filings.
The increases represent hikes of approximately 75% and 80%, respectively.
The administration is also seeking to raise the cost of requesting a rehearing after a naturalization application is denied. Under the proposal, the fee would increase from $830 to $1,475 for paper filings and from $780 to $1,475 for online submissions.
The proposed changes come just weeks before the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding and have drawn criticism from immigrant advocacy groups, which argue the higher costs could place citizenship further out of reach for many lawful permanent residents.
Currently, applicants with household incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level qualify for a reduced naturalization fee of $380.
The Department of Homeland Security is proposing to eliminate that discount, arguing there is insufficient justification for providing reduced fees and that applicants seeking citizenship should bear the full cost of the service.
In its filing, DHS said that while naturalization is a unique benefit, its advantages do not justify requiring other immigration-benefit applicants to subsidize reduced naturalization fees.
Immigration advocates quickly condemned the proposal.
Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the fee increases would create another obstacle for immigrants who have followed the legal process to become citizens.
"For immigrants who have judiciously followed the required steps to become a citizen, increased fees are a burden and for some will effectively shut the door to attaining the promise of America," Awawdeh said.
Allen Shao King, legal services director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, also questioned the timing of the proposal, noting that Congress recently approved a $70 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for processing naturalization applications and other immigration benefits, relies primarily on application fees to fund its operations, though Congress has occasionally provided supplemental funding for specific initiatives.
Fee increases for immigration benefits are not unprecedented. Previous administrations, including the George W. Bush administration, approved significant hikes that researchers found affected naturalization rates among some immigrant groups.
The proposal is subject to a public comment period that runs through Aug. 24. Members of the public may submit comments electronically before the administration decides whether to finalize the rule.