Immigration attorneys warn that rising fees, heightened scrutiny and growing uncertainty under the Trump administration’s immigration overhaul may push some lawful permanent residents to delay applying for U.S. citizenship.
Rising Fees, Fear Push Green Card Holders To Delay Citizenship
Green card holders eyeing citizenship are facing a tougher road ahead, Newsweek reports. Immigration attorneys say a mix of higher proposed fees, stricter vetting and general unease is nudging some permanent residents to hold off on filing, even as many still plan to pursue naturalization for the protections it offers.
The Department of Homeland Security wants to hike the paper filing fee for Form N-400, the naturalization application, from $760 to $1,330, while scrapping reduced-fee and waiver options. DHS says the move aligns costs with processing expenses, but attorneys warn it could hit lower-income applicants hardest.
USCIS data shows applications spiked to 169,159 in October 2025 ahead of a revised civics test, then crashed to 41,478 in November — a pattern attorneys say reflects some rushing to beat new rules while others waited.
Adding to the unease, the administration has ramped up denaturalization efforts. CNN reported plans for at least 250 denaturalization cases in fiscal 2026, a sharp jump from historical norms of roughly 11 a year between 1990 and 2017, according to Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse data.
Attorneys quoted by Newsweek described longer waits, closer scrutiny of minor issues like speeding tickets or IRS payment plans, and growing client anxiety about applying at all. Still, several noted citizenship remains the strongest immigration status available, offering rights — like petitioning parents for visas — that permanent residency doesn’t.
The core question attorneys raised is whether higher costs and uncertainty will simply raise the bar for applicants or discourage eligible green card holders from applying altogether.
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