Immigration attorney Charles Kuck flagged a fee change worth acting on: the cost to naturalize is set to rise sharply, and soon.
mic What the Attorney Says
“Immigration is raising dramatically the fee for naturalization. Right now, it is 790, I think.”
By Kuck’s account the N-400 fee is going up to about $1,330, taking effect in roughly 60 days, and the agency has signaled it will not waive fees. Confirm the exact current amount on the official USCIS fee schedule before you file, since the number is what matters and it is changing. But the direction is clear, and the fee you pay is the one in effect on your filing date.
mic What the Attorney Says
“To do this to people who want to become citizens, who have lived here a long time, who can speak English, or fit within one of the exceptions that Congress has created, just awful.”
If you are already eligible, the move is to file before the increase lands rather than wait. Just make sure you are actually ready to file cleanly: confirm you meet the 90-day early-filing and residency rules after a recent move, and if you hold a conditional green card, remember the sequencing in filing the I-751 and waiting before the N-400. A rushed filing that draws an N-400 processing delay still beats paying hundreds more, but only if the case is solid.