Is the cost of applying for US citizenship going up 80%?
By Samuel Henning
Copy link
Copy featured image
YES
In October, the application fee for those seeking U.S. citizenship will increase to $1,190, the first increase since a boost in late 2016 to $640. A required related fee for "biometric services," to cover the cost of fingerprinting and identity checks, is being cut to $30 from $85, bringing the total cost of applying to $1,220, up 80%.
The agency, U.S. Immigrant and Citizenship Services, relies on filing fees for 97% of its funding, and says adjustments to these and other fees for its services are "overdue." Low income applicants can apply for fee waivers.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
