President Donald Trump's government presented a plan that proposes increasing the cost of applying for US citizenship and eliminating exemptions and fee reductions aimed at low-income people, according to information released this Monday, June 22.

The proposal is part of a series of adjustments in immigration matters that seek to tighten access to naturalization, amid new measures promoted during his second term to reinforce controls in citizenship procedures.

Increase in fees for the naturalization process

According to CBS News reports, the plan contemplates an increase of $570 in the cost of the naturalization process before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which would directly impact legal applicants for permanent residence seeking to become citizens.

With this adjustment, the N-400 form would go from $760 to $1,330 in its paper version, while online applications would rise from $710 to $1,280.

An increase in the N-336 form, used to request the review of a denial of citizenship, is also contemplated. In that case, the cost would go from $830 to $1,475 in physical format and from $780 to $1,425 online.

Elimination of payment exemptions and reductions

The plan includes eliminating fee waivers for the citizenship process, as well as reducing costs for people whose family income is below 400% of the federal poverty line.

Currently, some applicants can access reduced fees or exemptions based on their financial situation, although these options would disappear if the proposal takes effect.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the goal is for fees to cover the full cost of processing applications, under a “full cost recovery” model.

Government arguments and approval process

The DHS explained that the adjustment seeks to fully finance the review of citizenship files, as well as the additional controls applied in the naturalization processes.

The proposal was published as a regulation under review, so it has not yet come into force. The document must go through a public consultation period of 60 days, in which comments may be made before an eventual final decision.

The federal government indicated that, after this period, the observations will be evaluated and could lead to modifications before the final approval of the standard.

Impact on applicants and debate on the cost of citizenship

The proposed increase has generated debate about access to U.S. citizenship, especially among green card holders seeking to complete the naturalization process.

According to specialists cited by CBS News and Newsweek, the increase could represent an economic barrier for applicants with medium and low incomes, by significantly raising the total cost of the procedure.

For now, the proposal remains in the review phase and there is no defined date for its possible implementation.