County Joins Federal Lawsuit Against Naturalization Fee Increases

BETHESDA, MD — Montgomery County has joined a multi-state lawsuit seeking to block the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from making the naturalization process more expensive for eligible residents.

Maryland's most populous jurisdiction — along with 33 other counties and cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors — argue that the policy would price out immigrants who want to become American citizens.

It currently costs $725 to apply for naturalization. But beginning Oct. 2, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will raise the cost to $1,200 and eliminate the fee waiver for low-income residents.

County officials said the policy would also increase the Green Card application fee and implement an asylum application fee.

In a July press release, USCIS said it needed to raise the fees because they did not cover cover the current cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services.

"As required by federal law, USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that current fees do not recover the cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services. DHS is adjusting USCIS fees by a weighted average increase of 20% to help recover its operational costs. Current fees would leave the agency underfunded by about $1 billion per year," USCIS said.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) argued that U.S. citizenship shouldn't be only for those who can afford it.

"Doubling immigration fees and eliminating the low-income waiver can have the effect of excluding many who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship but are unable to cover the cost," Elrich said. "U.S. citizenship should not be limited to those who can afford to pay. We should be doing everything in our power to welcome new citizens, not put roadblocks in their path."

Around 56,000 residents in Montgomery County are currently eligible for U.S. citizenship, according to county officials.

Elrich said the federal policy creates a wealth test, which "goes against our American values," and urged residents to apply for naturalization before Oct. 2.

"When lawful, permanent residents become U.S. citizens, our county thrives," he said. "We urge our residents to start the naturalization process immediately, before the fees go up on Oct. 2, and to seek legal advice and citizenship application assistance only from reputable service providers."