Comments in public consultations can be submitted until August 24, 2026 — the current fees apply until then.
For green card holders who have been putting off the decision to apply for citizenship, the calculation has just changed. The proposed regulation was published in the Federal Register on June 23, 2026.
How much the application is to cost
The draft concerns two forms. The first is N-400, which is the actual application for naturalization. The second — N-336 — is used to appeal a denial.
The proposed fees are as follows:
- N-400 filed on paper: increase from $760 to $1,330 — an increase of $570, or 75 percent
- N-400 filed online: increase from $710 to $1,280 — an increase of $570, or 80 percent
- N-336 on paper: increase from $830 to $1,475 — an increase of $645, or 77.7 percent
- N-336 online: increase from $780 to $1,425 — an increase of $645, or 83 percent
The $50 discount for filing the application online remains unchanged.
The end of relief for lower-income individuals
The second part of the proposal may prove more painful than the fee increase itself. DHS is proposing to eliminate the fee waiver for naturalization applications and abolish the reduced fee for individuals whose household income does not exceed four times the federal poverty guidelines.
Currently, a fee waiver can be requested in three ways: by receiving means-tested public benefits, by demonstrating an income no higher than 150 percent of the poverty line, or by proving severe financial hardship. The proposal closes all three avenues.
The waiver is maintained exclusively for individuals serving in the U.S. armed forces — not by agency discretion, but because it stems directly from the immigration statute (sections 328 and 329 of the INA), which the department cannot change by regulation.
Why the government wants a price hike
The justification in this case is exceptionally straightforward. The department writes that current fees do not cover the full cost of processing naturalization applications.
A sentence describing a shift in philosophy follows. The department states outright that it no longer considers naturalization applications to benefit from lower fees at the expense of applicants for other immigration benefits.
In practice, this means a transition to a principle the agency calls beneficiary-pays: the full cost of the proceeding is borne by the person who benefits from it. The department argues that below-cost fees forced rate increases on other forms.
The scale in numbers
USCIS receives nearly one million N-400 applications annually. According to department calculations, the fee increase alone is expected to bring in about $430 million annually, the elimination of fee waivers about $196 million, and the abolition of the reduced rate just under $17 million.
The agency calculates that under current fees, revenue from Form N-400 does not cover the costs of processing it — the shortfall reaches $636 million, or 135 percent.
Few applicants have utilized the reduced fee until now. In fiscal years 2019–2023, this averaged 0.3 percent of applications. Following the entry into force of the 2024 fee regulation — in the period from April 2024 to March 2025 — the share rose to 3.2 percent.
What this means in practice
The most important caveat: this is a proposal, not current law. The document was published as a notice of proposed rulemaking, meaning an announcement of a change subject to public comment. Comments can be submitted by anyone until August 24, 2026 — over a hundred have been submitted as of the publication of this text.
Until the final version is released, current fees remain in effect. The proposal does not contain an effective date — such a date, assuming the rule is finalized, is determined only by the final regulation.
For a green card holder who already meets the requirements for naturalization, this means that an application submitted before the potential entry into force of the changes would be subject to the current fee. Furthermore, naturalization is an individual matter — spouses file two separate forms, so for a couple the difference would be twice $570.
At the same time, the proposal does not provide for any transition period for applications filed before the changes take effect. This does not mean there will not be one — such a provision is simply absent from the published text.
Individuals considering applying for citizenship should discuss their situation with a licensed immigration attorney. However, comments on the proposal itself can be submitted by anyone — the federal government document system is used for this purpose.
Sources:
- Federal Register — „Naturalization Application Fee Adjustments”, DHS proposed rule (document 2026-12542, 91 FR 37500, published June 23, 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/23/2026-12542/naturalization-application-fee-adjustments
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — fee information: https://www.uscis.gov/g-1055
This material is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration regulations change, and individual situations require consultation with a licensed immigration attorney.
Bartosz Karczmarski
