Green Card Alert! USCIS recommends increasing naturalization fee by $570 and there should not be any low-cost options for naturalization
As Donald Trump’s administration declares a war on citizenship fraud and revokes the status of people who lied to become U.S. citizens, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service is proposing to raise the naturalization fee to $1,330. The agency also proposed rescinding the naturalization exemption program. green card Holders can apply for naturalization after living in the United States for about five years.“After re-examining whether DHS should continue to charge lower fees for Forms N-400 and N-336 and shift those fees to other requests for benefits, DHS now believes that aliens filing these forms should pay the full adjudication fee,” the USCIS proposal states.“As mentioned before, U.S. citizenship is the most meaningful immigration benefit the United States can grant to foreigners. However, adding Form N400 and N-336 Fees for the forms are kept below cost, requiring DHS to shift fees not covered by these fees to fees paid for other forms. DHS no longer believes that naturalization is important enough to justify funding naturalization from fees paid for other immigration benefits. After reconsideration, DHS now believes that the substantial value of citizenship is why the naturalization application fee should be set at the amount needed to recover the total cost.”
Form N-400 and Form N-336 for U.S. Citizens
Naturalization is the legal process by which a person born outside the United States voluntarily chooses to become a U.S. citizen. If you were not born a U.S. citizen (whether born on U.S. soil or to U.S. citizen parents), naturalization is the primary path to citizenship.Form N-400 It is the standard form submitted by green card holders to formally apply to become a U.S. citizen.Require
- Be 18 years or older.
- Hold the green card for at least 5 years (3 years if married to a US citizen).
- Demonstrate continuous residence and physical presence in the United States.
- Ability to read, write, and speak basic English and pass a U.S. Citizenship/History test.
- Demonstrate “good moral character” (no criminal record, pay taxes, etc.).
Form N-336This is an appeal form if your Form N-400 is denied.You must file Form N-336 within 30 calendar days after receiving the N-400 denial notice. If you miss this window, the denial is established. It is used to present new evidence, correct a misunderstanding, or file a legal brief to prove that the original officer made a factual or legal error in denying your citizenship.
