If you are a legal US resident and have been considering applying for US citizenship you have from now until October 1 to apply for the current fee of 640.00.

Come October 2, you will be paying at least $1,160.00 for that same application. Just as a reminder, you need to be at least 18 years old and, in most cases have been a legal permanent resident in the US for at least five years, in order to apply.

**On this same date, there are other new and increased fees that will significantly impact: **

For the first time, those who are seeking asylum protection will have to pay a fee of $50.00. The U.S. now becomes one of only four countries that charges a fee to apply for humanitarian protection.

Another significant increase is the petition for employment authorization (Form I-765) which increases 34% to $550.00.

A great shock for those affected will be the fee for suspension of that is increasing from $285.00 to a whopping $1810.00.

Some fee increases are very minor, and other fees have actually been slightly reduced. For a complete table of the new fees to see if you are affected in any way, go to:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2020-16389.pdf

(Scroll down several pages till you reach the tables.)

Fees are typically reviewed every two years and may have slight increases, but this is the first time in many years that the citizenship application has been increased so dramatically.

There are a number of reasons behind these increases. Immigration and Citizenship Services are a “fee for service” agency, and are supported only by the fees it charges. It has been facing a serious shortfall, due to the increase of operational costs and also because there have been many fewer applications, due to the new regulations that the Trump administration has implemented to curb legal immigration. As they have made immigration more and more restrictive in the past couple of years, fewer applications have come in, which has literally meant less money for the agency. Another factor is that this administration is requiring a much stricter vetting process, which, of course, costs the agency revenue.

However, there is no question that these increased fees are just one more measure that will discourage people, particularly those of lower income, to apply for citizenship – which will help this administration’s aim to restrict citizenship.

So, if you have been delaying applying for your citizenship, don’t delay any longer. Apply now. Also, take into account that due to the huge backlog, it may take up to a year for your application to be processed and approved.