Starting April 1, 2024, USCIS began implementing its new fee schedule which has raised filing fees considerably across the board for most applicants. For example, applicants for marriage based green cards have seen a steep increase from $1760 to $3005 in some cases. On the other hand, some categories of applicants have benefited from the new schedule. Individuals applying for humanitarian-based benefits, such as VAWA, do not have to pay filing fees. Some people applying for naturalization may also benefit from the new changes. While the general filing fee for the N-400 has increased from $725 to $760, there are certain groups of applicants who may qualify for a reduced filing fee, namely, those whose household income falls between 150% to 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. If the applicant can demonstrate that his/her income falls below the threshold, the filing fee for citizenship will be $380, which is essentially half the price of the current fee. Any applicant wishing to file for the reduced fee will indicate so on the revised N-400 form. Alternatively, if the applicant’s household income falls below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guideline, the applicant may apply for a fee waiver of the filing fee. However, in this case, the applicant would need to complete and submit an additional form on Form I-912.
For more information on how to qualify for a reduced fee of the citizenship application, please give our office a call.