Bad news for Green Card aspirants? Trump's new plan could cost Indians up to ₹1 lakh to become a US citizen
According to reports, the US Department of Homeland Security plans to charge legal immigrants seeking US citizenship $570 more in application fees while eliminating waivers and fee reductions for low-income applicants.How much are fees increasing?The fee for paper-based applications — N‑400 (citizenship application) — would increase from $760 ( ₹71,973) to $1330 ( ₹1,26,038) — an increase of 5 percent.The fee for online application would jump from $710 to $1280 (+80 percent). That is the difference of $570, CBS News reported.For N‑336 (appeal of denial), the fees for a paper-based application would increase from $830 to $1,475 (+78 per cent), while those for an online application would increase from $780 to $1,425 (+83 per cent).The rule would not be implemented immediately. The public will be able to weigh in during the next 60 days on the rule, for or against it.Before the final decision is made, comments must be submitted within 60 days of publication in the Federal Register; after that, DHS will review the feedback and may revise the policy before issuing a final rule.Why is the hike in the US citizenship fee proposed?The administration argues that the fee hikes are necessary to fully recover the cost of adjudicating and processing applications.Meanwhile, the Newsweek reported that rule, published for public comment Monday, marks a major shift in federal policy by aligning naturalisation fees with what DHS calls the “full costs” of adjudication, including expanded screening and vetting requirements mandated by recent executive orders.How will it impact?The fee, if implemented, would significantly make the US Green Card costlier -- raising the cost of becoming a US citizenCritics said it is yet another barrier for legal immigrants seeking American citizenship. According to reports, they are likely to counter that eliminating waivers could disproportionately affect low-income immigrants, raising barriers to citizenship.The DHS also acknowledges that the changes could have real-world consequences for many legal permanent residents, potentially delaying their applications, according to Newsweek.How will it impact Indians?India is among the top 10 countries from wheere citizens are applying for a green card in the US (New Lawful Permanent Residents).As per data from the Ministry of External Affairs, there are around 6 million (60,79,221) Indians in the United States as of January 2026.Of these, 37,67,737 are persons of Indian origin, and 23,11,484 are non-resident Indians. 2024, there were 66,800 Indians who received a green card and were living as lawful permanent residents in the US. This number dropped significantly from 127,010 in 2022, to 78,070 in 2023, to 66,800 in 2024.After Trump raised the fee for an H-1B visa application from an average of $2,000 to $100,000 in September last year, DHS's proposed changes to the naturalisation application fee could further impact Indians.Recently, a federal court in Boston, Massachusetts, struck down Trump's $100,000 H-1 visa fee, terming it "unlawful".About the AuthorAkriti AnandAkriti Anand is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint. She is a digital journalist with more than six years in the news industry.<br><br>
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