News > Press Releases
New Fees Will Put Citizenship Out of Reach
Posted on Aug 02 2020
July 31, 2020—In a move that will prevent many immigrants from becoming citizens, the Trump administration will dramatically increase fees for naturalization applications and eliminate fee waivers, beginning October 2. The administration also requires people fleeing persecution to pay a fee to apply for asylum, making the United States the fourth country in the world to impose this barrier to asylum applicants.
“Charging a fee to asylum seekers is particularly heinous,” said Veena Iyer, executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM). “The asylum officer who called this fee ‘blood money’ got it exactly right.”
Immigrants who are eligible to apply for citizenship will see fees almost double from the current $640 to $1170 after October 2. Other fee increases apply to replacement of green cards, citizenship certificates, and more.
Moreover, fee waivers—which have long been accepted and granted for a wide variety of immigration benefits—will be eliminated for most applicants. Five categories of crime, abuse, and trafficking victims protected by specific statutes that USCIS cannot change will still be eligible for fee waivers.
“Working with low-income immigrants every day, ILCM attorneys see their passion for citizenship and the enormous contributions they make to this country,” said Iyer. “Especially at this time of economic recession and high unemployment, these heartless fee increases and elimination of virtually all fee waivers betray the ideals and values of this country.”
Anyone who is eligible for naturalization may want to apply now, before the fee increase goes into effect in October. For more information, contact ILCM at (651) 641-1011 or 1-800-223-1368 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. or Thursdays from 1-7:30 p.m.