Trump To Raise US Citizenship Fees

Trump administration just dropped a bombshell on anyone who wants to become a US citizen. They’re going to charge legal immigrants seeking citizenship $570 more for their application and eliminate waivers and fee reductions for low-income applicants. And that’s a big change that will affect thousands of people attempting to make America their official home.

Citizenship fees are currently $760 for paper and $710 for online filings. Under the new plan, paper applicants would have to pay $1,330, and online filers would pay $1,280. That’s almost doubling the cost for many immigrants. If you’d like to appeal a rejected citizenship application, the cost will go up by $645.

What is raising fees so much?

According to the Department of Homeland Security, the reason is simple but controversial. DHS says USCIS is largely financed by the fees it charges, and that the fee hikes are necessary to fully subsidize the processing of citizenship applications, especially as Trump administration efforts to more heavily scrutinize applicants.

In plain language, the government wants applicants to pay for all the extra background checks, interviews, and investigations they are now doing. The Trump administration is doing a different thing here; that’s a much different approach to citizenship applications than the ones a generation ago, which have been relatively low to promote citizenship and integration.

But critics are angry. A former senior USCIS official asked why Trump was trying to raise citizenship fees, saying Trump is in a hurry to make it difficult for legal immigrants to enter the country.

The Real Problem for Low-Income Immigrants

Here is what really hurts. Under the proposed rule, fee waivers and reduced fees would disappear. Currently, applicants get fee waivers based on income, public benefits, or financial hardship, and a reduced $380 filing fee is available to some applicants earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

DHS wants to eliminate both, because USCIS would no longer let people apply for citizenship with a lower fee and cut out all the waived fees. This is bad news for millions. DHS knows the changes could have real-world implications for many legal permanent residents and can delay their applications.

The government argues that demand for citizenship is strong and people will still apply. But opponents disagree strongly. Experts say eliminating waivers would disproportionately affect low-income immigrants, raising barriers to citizenship, and applicants may pay substantially more but get less in terms of accessibility and customer service.

What’s now?

Fee exemptions for service members seeking citizenship would be maintained but everyone else is left with a huge jump in fees. The good part is that the changes are part of a regulation that has yet to be completed and will go through the federal government’s rulemaking process. This means it is not final yet.

But this proposal shows the Trump administration’s hard stance on immigration. To hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the country legally and working hard, this fee increase is just one more hurdle standing in the way of the American dream.

Also Read: Former US NSA John Bolton Slams US-Iran Deal, Says Trump Ignored Strategic Risks

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