Becoming a US citizen is about to get more expensive

The increase is the first major fee adjustment since 2016
Overall price of applying for legal permanent residency rises to over $3K
Fee increases go into effect April 1

Matt Spears

Updated: Feb 20, 2024 / 02:23 PM CST

FILE – In this Aug. 17, 2018, file photo, people arrive before the start of a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Miami Field Office in Miami. The number of applications for visas used in the technology industry soared for a second straight year, raising “serious concerns” that some are manipulating the system to gain an unfair advantage, authorities said Friday. There were 780,884 applications for H-1B visas in this year’s computer-generated lottery, up 61% from 483,927 last year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a message to “stakeholders.” (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

(NewsNation) — Fees associated with becoming an American citizen are set to rise April 1, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced.

The cost of filing an Application for Naturalization form, or N-400, will go up from $640 — or $725 if biometric work is needed — to $760. Meanwhile, the overall price for filing the forms needed for legal permanent residency, also known as the “green card” packet, will rise from $1,760 to $3,005, per USA Today.

“USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that current fees do not recover the full cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services,” the Department of Homeland Security announcement read. “DHS is adjusting the fee schedule to fully recover costs and maintain adequate service.”

In addition to raising overall fees, the new guidelines also expand eligibility for reduced rates, with discounts available to those earning below 400% of the federal poverty guideline. Filing form N-400 will cost them $380, up from $320.

USCIS administered the Oath of Allegiance to more than 878,500 new citizens in fiscal year 2023, which it says eliminated its backlog of naturalization applications.

According to the DHS, there were approximately 9 million legal permanent residents of the United States who could apply for U.S. citizenship but hadn’t yet as of Jan. 1, 2023.