The US department of homeland security (DHS) has proposed a sharp increase in filing fees for naturalisation applications, a move that could significantly raise the cost of acquiring American citizenship for permanent residents (green card holders), including thousands of Indians eligible to apply each year.Under the proposal, the fee for Form N-400 (application for naturalisation), the principal application used by green card holders seeking US citizenship, would rise to $1,330 from $760 for paper filings, an increase of 75%. For online filings, the fee hike is sharper by around 80%, rising to $1,280 from $710.The proposal would also eliminate the reduced-fee option currently available to lower-income applicants and will scrap fee waivers altogether for naturalisation filings. At present, certain applicants with limited financial means can seek either a fee reduction or a complete waiver.
Persons naturalised by country of birth: Fiscal years 2022 to 2024
The proposal comes at a time when Indians continue to be among the largest groups acquiring US citizenship. 65,960 Indians acquired US citizenship in FY-2022 (fiscal ended Sept 30), 59,100 in FY-2023 and 49,700 in FY-2024, according to DHS statistics. India remained the second-largest source country for new American citizens in FY-2024 despite a decline in numbers from the previous two years.DHS has also proposed raising the fee for Form N-336 (Request for a hearing on a decision in naturalisation proceedings); this form is used by applicants who wish to challenge the denial of their citizenship applications. The filing fee for this form would increase to $1,475 from $830 for paper submissions and to $1,425 from $780 for online filings.According to DHS, the increases are intended to better align filing fees with the agency’s costs of processing and adjudicating naturalisation-related applications. The agency will accept public comments for 60 days, these will be reviewed, before a final rule is implemented.
