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The Trump administration has unveiled a sweeping plan that would dramatically increase the cost of applying for U.S. citizenship, charging legal immigrants hundreds of dollars more while eliminating key fee waivers and reductions for low-income applicants.

Under the proposed regulation from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the fee for citizenship applications would jump from $760 to $1,330 for paper filings and from $710 to $1,280 for online submissions. Requests to reconsider a denied application would rise by an additional $645.

The changes would also scrap fee waivers entirely for citizenship cases and remove the reduced-fee option for households earning up to 400% of the federal poverty line. Exemptions for service members would remain intact.

This proposed fee surge marks a clear shift in philosophy from previous administrations, which kept citizenship costs relatively low to encourage naturalization and integration. The Department of Homeland Security now argues that naturalization applications should no longer be subsidized at the expense of other immigration benefits, especially as the agency faces increased scrutiny and vetting demands under Trump’s policies.

Critics, including former USCIS officials, see the move as another barrier designed to slow legal immigration and make the process more difficult for those already navigating a complex system. With citizenship typically available to green card holders after three to five years — requiring English and civics tests plus a clean criminal record — this hike could disproportionately affect working-class immigrants and their families.

The regulation is not yet final and will undergo a 60-day public comment period, but it aligns with the administration’s broader crackdown on legal immigration pathways, including enhanced “good moral character” reviews and resumed neighborhood checks.

For millions of legal permanent residents dreaming of full American citizenship, this proposal could turn an already challenging journey into a significantly more expensive one — raising fresh questions about access, fairness, and the future of legal immigration in the United States.