Indian Green Card Holders Face Higher Costs as U.S. Plans Citizenship Fee Hike

In the United States, Indian green card holders would soon be paying astronomical bills for naturalization, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) planning to raise citizenship application fees by up to 80% while eliminating any fee waivers. If enacted, such changes would be extremely expensive for thousands of Indians waiting to become U.S. citizens.

Key Highlights of the Proposal

N-400 Application Fee (Citizenship Form):

Current paper filing: $760 → Proposed: $1,330

Current online filing: $710 → Proposed: $1,280

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That is a 75–80% increase.

Appeals (Form N-336)

Paper filing: $830 → Proposed: $1,475

Online filing: $780 → Proposed: $1,425

Fee Waivers & Reduced Fees:

There are already available for low-income applicants.

All waivers and reduced-fee options will be eliminated under the new rule.

Only exemption: U.S. military service members remain free of charge.

Impact on Indian Green Card Holders. Large applicant pool: Indians are among the largest groups of green card holders seeking U.S. citizenship.

Numbers in decline: Almost 50,000 Indians became U.S. citizens in FY 2024, down from 65,960 in FY 2022—a 25% drop in two years.

Financial burden: Many Indian immigrants, including students, retirees and families, depend on fee waivers. Removal of them could make naturalization unaffordable for thousands.

Diaspora size: Around 6 million Indians live in the U.S. and a significant share are eligible for naturalization after years of waiting in visa backlogs.

Government’s Justification

DHS says the hike reflects a “full-cost, beneficiary-pays” model, including expanded background checks, interviews and vetting.

They maintain that prior administrations have allowed fees to be “artificially low” so as to promote integration, but the new one does not: the costs are made on applicants.

Timeline & Next Steps

Proposal published: June 22, 2026.

Public comment period open until August 24, 2026.

In the meantime, fees will continue to be paid until the rule is finalized.

The U.S. citizenship fee hike could make naturalization much more expensive for Indian green card holders, especially with the removal of fee waivers. That rule is still under review, and the financial strain may discourage many from applying, which may slow the pace of Indian immigrants becoming U.S. citizens.