The Department of Homeland Security published a proposed USCIS fee schedule on 4 January 2023, the first full review since the fees set in December 2016. For Form N-400, DHS proposed raising the application fee from $640 to $760 and including the cost of biometrics, which was then charged separately at $85. Because most applicants already paid $725 in total, the real increase for them would be $35, or about 5 percent.
Key facts
- Status Proposed rule (later finalised in January 2024)
- Proposed fee $760 including biometrics
- Fee then $640 plus $85 biometrics ($725)
- Reduced fee $380 proposed, up from $320 plus $85
- Comments Due 6 March 2023
Reduced fee
At the time, applicants with household income above 150 and up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines could pay a reduced fee of $320 plus biometrics, applying on Form I-942. DHS proposed a reduced fee of $380 with biometrics included, and to let any eligible applicant with income under 200 percent of the guidelines ask for it, instead of starting the band at 150 percent. The proposal did not offer a lower online fee for naturalisation forms. Comments were due by 6 March 2023 under docket USCIS-2021-0010.
What happened next
The final rule was published on 31 January 2024 and took effect on 1 April 2024. It kept $760 for paper filing, but added a $710 online fee and extended the $380 reduced fee to incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty guidelines.
What this means
This proposal is history now and nothing in it applies on its own terms. It is a useful reminder that a proposed fee is not the fee you pay: the amount charged is set by the final rule and the USCIS fee schedule in force on the day your application arrives. Always check the USCIS N-400 page before filing, especially while a new fee proposal is under consideration, as one was in 2026.