DHS Proposes Increase to U.S. Citizenship Application Fees

Quick Hits

• On June 23, 2026, DHS proposed a rule that would increase the Form N-400 paper filing fee from $760 to $1,330 and the online filing fee from $710 to $1,280, representing increases of 75 to 80 percent.
• DHS would also eliminate the current $380 reduced fee option for low-income applicants and end fee waiver eligibility for both Form N-400 and Form N-336.
• Public comments on the proposed rule must be submitted within sixty days of publication in the Federal Register.

If finalized, the proposed rule would raise the Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization) filing fee by approximately 75 percent and eliminate both the reduced fee option and fee waivers for naturalization-related forms.

USCIS is primarily funded by fees charged to applicants and petitioners filing immigration benefit requests. According to DHS, the current fees for Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization) and Form N-336 (Request for a Hearing on a Decision in Naturalization Proceedings) do not recover the full costs associated with adjudicating these forms. DHS states that this cost/revenue gap—estimated at over $636 million annually for Form N-400 alone—has required the agency to raise fees for other immigration benefit requests to make up the difference.

The proposed rule includes three principal changes. First, DHS proposes to increase the fee for Form N-400 to $1,330 for paper filings and $1,280 for online filings, representing a 75 to 80 percent increase over the current fees of $760 and $710, respectively. Second, DHS proposes to increase the fee for Form N-336 to $1,475 for paper filings and $1,425 for online filings, representing a 78 to 83 percent increase. Third, DHS would eliminate the reduced fee option for Form N-400 (currently $380 for applicants with household income at or below 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines) and end fee waiver eligibility for both forms.

DHS justifies these increases under the “beneficiary-pays” principle, which holds that those who receive a government service should bear the cost of that service. The agency argues that prior administrations kept naturalization fees artificially low to encourage naturalization, effectively shifting costs to other immigration benefit requestors. DHS now takes the position that applicants for other immigration benefits—such as employment-based visas and family-based petitions—should not have to subsidize the cost of processing naturalization applications. According to DHS, the proposed fees are designed to ensure full cost recovery for the adjudication of Forms N-400 and N-336, consistent with DHS’s statutory authorities under Section 286(m) and Section 344 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Notably, the proposed rule would maintain the current fee exemptions for qualifying current and former armed forces service members who apply for naturalization under Sections 328 or 329 of the INA, as these exemptions are required by statute. Additionally, DHS is not proposing changes to the existing $50 discount for online filings.

Next Steps

DHS notes that this proposed rule is being issued separately from, and in advance of, a comprehensive fee schedule revision. The agency has indicated that the naturalization fee increases proposed here could potentially limit increases to other USCIS forms in future comprehensive fee rules—a consideration relevant to employers that regularly file employment-based petitions and applications.

The proposed rule is subject to a sixty-day public comment period. Employers and  stakeholders that wish to weigh in on the potential effects of the fee increases may submit comments before the deadline. Once all comments are reviewed and considered, DHS will decide whether to implement the fees as proposed, revise the proposed fees, or take no action to change the fees.

Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group will continue to monitor developments and will post updates on the Immigration blog as additional information becomes available.

For more insight into this development and other critical immigration issues facing employers today, please join our Virtual Immigration Insights Symposium on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from noon to 2:30 p.m. ET. Register here.

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