The Department of Homeland Security proposes to raise U.S. citizenship application fees by roughly 80 percent, increasing paper filings from $760 to $1,330 and online filings from $710 to $1,280.The plan raises requests for reconsideration after denials to $1,475 and would eliminate reduced fees now available to households up to 400% of the federal poverty level.The Department of Homeland Security says the increases are needed to cover expanded background checks ordered by President Donald Trump and to make applicants bear processing costs, projecting about $430M in additional annual revenue.Immigrant advocates, including
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council, say the proposal will create barriers for roughly 1M applicants annually and critics question the timing after Congress approved large funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the
Border Patrol.