Explainer: Why It Costs Immigrants $680 to Apply for Naturalization

Some people think the fee of $680 is too high, others think it is fair.  I am sure it is hard for some immigrants to afford, but it will be worth it.  - - Donna Poisl

By Katy Steinmetz

Immigration reform is a numbers game. And one of those numbers is $680—the price of applying for naturalization, the process that turns green card-holders into citizens. Politicians like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel are decrying that number, saying the cost is too high. Non-profits, encouraging the country’s 8.5 million permanent residents to go down that path, are subsidizing that fee. So where does that total come from, and where does the money go?

The money goes into the coffers of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a part of the Department of Homeland Security that oversees lawful immigration to the U.S. The total of $680 comes from a $595 application fee and a $85 “biometric fee” that is funneled toward background-check costs like fingerprinting.
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