Categories: Immigration and Firm News

Major Increase in USCIS Filing Fee for Naturalization Cases – Effective October 2, 2020

On July 31, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a final rule on the USCIS fee schedule, which includes a major restructuring of the filing fees for processing applications and benefits with the agency.

While the administration has many adjustments to the filing fees for processing cases, the filing fee to become a United States Citizen (Naturalization), will increase more than an 80% increase from $725.00 to $1,200.00 (including biometrics).

The change in the filing fee will become effective on October 2, 2020.

If you are fully qualified to become a U.S. Citizen, it may be worth considering if you can submit your application before October 2, 2020 and prior to this major fee increase.
The new rule will also eliminate the fee waiver, for those requesting special accommodations due to financial hardship.

Naturalization applications filed with USCIS prior to the increase can be submitted using the current filing fees of $725.00 (including biometrics), and will be processed by the agency using this fee even if the case is reviewed and approved after October 2, 2020.

For more information on Naturalization, please contact Kolko & Casey, P.C.

David Kolko