(UNITED STATES) — The Department of Homeland Security has proposed raising the filing fee for Form N-400, the application for naturalization, from $760 to $1,330 for paper filings and from $710 to $1,280 for online filings. That change would increase the cost of applying for U.S. citizenship by 75% and 80%.

DHS put the proposal out as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, not a final rule, and invited public comments under DHS Docket No. USCIS-2026-0265. The current fee schedule remains in effect unless the department completes the rulemaking process and adopts the changes.

The proposal also reaches beyond the naturalization application itself. DHS has proposed increasing the fee for Form N-336, used to request a hearing after denial of a naturalization application, from $830 to $1,475 for paper filings and from $780 to $1,425 for online filings. That represents about 78% and about 83% increases, respectively.

What Form N-400 Covers

Form N-400 is the application lawful permanent residents use to seek citizenship through naturalization. USCIS states that eligibility may be based on permanent resident status for at least five years. Some applicants may qualify earlier, including certain green card holders married to U.S. citizens.

Naturalization carries rights and protections that permanent residents do not fully have. Citizens can vote in federal elections, apply for a U.S. passport, sponsor certain family members more easily, and avoid the risk of losing permanent resident status after long trips abroad.

The fee proposal does not change who qualifies for naturalization. In general, an applicant may qualify if the person is at least 18, is a lawful permanent resident, has held a green card for the required period, meets continuous residence and physical presence rules, shows good moral character, passes English and civics requirements unless exempt, supports the U.S. Constitution, and takes the Oath of Allegiance.

USCIS lists the five-year green card route as a common basis for filing Form N-400. USA.gov also explains that some applicants may qualify through the three-year spouse-of-U.S.-citizen route, military service, or as a child of a U.S. citizen.

Fee Waivers and Reduced Fees

Another part of the DHS proposal would remove lower-cost options that some applicants now use. The department proposes eliminating the reduced fee for Form N-400 for applicants whose household income is less than or equal to 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. It would also remove fee waiver eligibility for both Form N-400 and Form N-336.

Under the current system, some lower-income applicants may qualify for a reduced naturalization fee or a full fee waiver. USCIS currently says applicants requesting a reduced fee or fee waiver must file Form N-400 on paper.

Military applicants would remain outside the change. Current and former U.S. armed forces service members applying under specific military naturalization provisions would stay exempt from paying the fees.

Why DHS Is Raising Fees

DHS says it wants the new fees to recover the full cost of adjudicating naturalization-related forms. The department states that current fees do not recover the full cost of processing Form N-400 and Form N-336, including screening and vetting checks.

The agency also says USCIS is mainly funded by fees paid by applicants and petitioners, not taxpayer dollars. According to the proposal, money collected from immigration benefit requests goes into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account, which funds USCIS adjudication work.

That structure helps explain why the department is targeting naturalization fees rather than changing eligibility rules. DHS wants applicants for citizenship to cover more of the actual processing cost instead of keeping naturalization fees lower through cross-subsidy from other immigration benefit applicants.

Impact on Families and Specific Groups

The impact could be broad among green card holders who are already eligible to file. It could be especially sharp in households where more than one person plans to apply. If two spouses each file online under the proposed rate, the total would reach $2,560 for two Form N-400 applications.

Indian green card holders are among the groups likely to feel the increase acutely because Indians are among the major groups applying for U.S. citizenship in the United States. Costs would climb further if adult children in the same family are also eligible and must file separately.

The proposal does not directly affect people in temporary visa status such as H-1B workers or H-4 dependents. Naturalization requires lawful permanent resident status first, so applicants cannot move straight from H-1B or H-4 status to citizenship without first becoming permanent residents and later meeting naturalization requirements.

It may still matter indirectly to many people who moved through the long employment-based path from F-1 to H-1B, then to a green card, and are now eligible or close to eligible for citizenship. For that group, the filing decision may come before the rulemaking process ends.

Considerations Before Filing

Eligible permanent residents may decide to file before any increase takes effect, but timing alone does not control the case. A naturalization application can be denied if the applicant does not meet residence, physical presence, tax, criminal, child support, selective service, travel, or good moral character requirements.

Anyone considering filing now should confirm the green card date, travel history, tax filing history, marital status when using the three-year rule, criminal or traffic history, selective service registration if applicable, address history, employment and school history, and English and civics preparation. A denied application would leave the current filing fee spent without delivering citizenship.

Paper and online applicants both face steep increases under the proposal, though the online route would still remain slightly cheaper in absolute terms. The gap between current and proposed costs is $570 for paper Form N-400 filings and $570 for online filings. The proposed jump for Form N-336 is $645 for paper and $645 for online.

Next Steps in the Process

The public process now matters as much as the numbers. Because DHS issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the fee changes do not take effect on publication alone. Applicants should continue to follow the current USCIS fee schedule unless and until a final rule becomes effective.

That leaves green card holders with a narrow but familiar calculation: file under the existing fees if fully eligible, or wait and risk paying much more later. Under the proposal now on the table, the price of applying for citizenship would rise to $1,330 on paper or $1,280 online, while reduced fees and fee waivers for most naturalization applicants would disappear.