Proposed Naturalization Fee Increases (DHS Proposed Rule, 2026)

The Department of Homeland Security has proposed raising the cost of applying for U.S. citizenship from $760 to $1,330 — a 75 percent increase. The rule would also raise the cost of appealing a denial from $830 to $1,475, and it would eliminate both the fee waiver for low-income applicants and the reduced fee option, entirely.

The rule is not final. It is open for public comment through midnight Eastern on August 24, 2026, and federal agencies are required to review and respond to the comments they receive. Anyone can submit one — individuals, organizations, and service providers alike.

Submit your comment →
(docket USCIS-2026-0265)

Where LWVH Stands

Citizenship is the gateway to voting, and no eligible future voter should be priced out of our democracy.

The League of Women Voters of Houston opposes this proposed rule.

This is a democracy issue, not an immigration debate. The rule affects lawful permanent residents who have already met every requirement for citizenship — years of residency, background checks, English and civics exams. Under the proposal, the only remaining barrier would be price. A family's ability to afford the fee, not their eligibility or their record or their commitment to this country, would decide whether they complete the final step. With fee waivers eliminated, an applicant living near the poverty line would have no option at all: not a longer timeline, not a smaller payment, not a hardship review.

Voting rights begin with citizenship. No one can register to vote without becoming a citizen first. A policy that reduces access to naturalization directly reduces the number of eligible voters. That squarely implicates the League's mission of empowering voters and defending democracy.

The impact falls hard on Houston. The impact would fall especially hard on our community. Harris County is one of the most diverse counties in the nation, and working families here who have saved for years toward the naturalization fee would face years more of saving. Every year of delay is an election cycle they cannot vote in, and those elections do not come back — a delay in naturalization is a permanent loss of participation, even for the family that eventually reaches the oath. And for applicants who qualify for a fee waiver today, eliminating it removes the only path that ever existed, with no assurance another will open.

This is not a new position for the League. In 2023, the national League formally opposed a proposed increase to the citizenship application fee, telling USCIS that a voting rights organization cannot accept financial barriers between eligible people and full participation in our democracy. This proposal is roughly four times that increase, and it eliminates the fee waiver entirely, which the 2023 proposal did not. LWVH registers newly naturalized citizens to vote at ceremonies in Houston every month. Defending access to citizenship is a continuation of that same work.

Access to citizenship is access to democracy. Eligibility, not income, should determine who becomes a citizen of the United States.

What You Can Do

1. Submit a public comment before August 24
   This is the most important thing on this list, and it takes about three minutes. We've written a ready-to-use letter you can copy,
   
   Submit your comment →
   (docket USCIS-2026-0265)
   
   Share this with people who need to know
   Forward this alert to family, friends, and neighbors on the path to naturalization — and to the organizations that serve them. Many people affected by this rule will never hear about the comment period at all.
   
   
2. Follow and amplify
   Follow LWVH for updates as the rule moves forward. Share our posts so this reaches people outside our own lists.
   [Facebook] · [Instagram] · [X] · [lwvhouston.org]
   
   
3. Join us
   Our voter registration and civic education work continues year-round, including monthly registration at naturalization ceremonies. Volunteer with LWVH →
   
   

Learn  More

• The proposed rule (Federal Register, June 23, 2026)
• Summary and analysis from the National Partnership for New Americans
• https://www.lwv.org/immigration/lwvus-submits-comments-uscis-opposing-immigration-application-fee-increases

Questions? Email Us

The League of Women Voters of Houston is a nonpartisan, nonprofit civic organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. LWVH neither supports nor opposes candidates or political parties.

Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.