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Becoming a U.S. citizen is becoming significantly more difficult, with naturalization denial rates more than doubling in two years, proposed application fees set to rise by as much as 80%, and processing times lengthening sharply, according to a new report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP).
The report says the Trump administration has introduced a series of measures—including higher fees, a tougher civics test, increased scrutiny of applicants and an expanded focus on denaturalization—that could discourage lawful permanent residents from seeking U.S. citizenship.
Under a proposed rule published in June, the online filing fee for Form N-400 would increase from $710 to $1,280, while paper applications would rise from $760 to $1,330. The proposal also eliminates reduced fees for lower-income applicants and substantially raises appeal fees for denied naturalization cases.
NFAP’s analysis of USCIS data shows the naturalization denial rate climbed from 8.3% in May 2024 to 18.1% in May 2026. During the same period, average processing times increased from 5.6 months to 10.1 months, while applications pending for more than six months surged to 441,362.
At the same time, USCIS processed far fewer applications. Monthly completions dropped from 83,317 in May 2024 to 20,795 in May 2026, a decline of about 75%, despite a sharp fall in new applications. Between January and May 2026, USCIS received an average of 47,500 applications a month, down from roughly 89,350 during the same period in 2024, yet the backlog continued to grow.
The report also highlights changes to the citizenship examination. Applicants filing after October 20, 2025, must correctly answer 12 of 20 questions from a pool of 128 civics questions, replacing the earlier requirement of six correct answers out of 10 questions drawn from a pool of 100. NFAP says it is too early to determine whether the tougher test has directly contributed to higher denial rates.
USCIS has also reinstated “neighborhood investigations” to verify applicants’ residency, moral character and eligibility before citizenship is granted. Meanwhile, a Justice Department memo issued in 2025 identified denaturalization as a top enforcement priority, with reports indicating field offices were asked to refer 100 to 200 denaturalization cases each month in fiscal 2026. Historically, the federal government filed fewer than one such civil lawsuit a month, but at least 15 complaints were filed in May 2026, the report said.
NFAP concludes that the combined effect of higher costs, stricter eligibility standards, slower processing and expanded denaturalization efforts is making U.S. citizenship harder to obtain and creating greater uncertainty for immigrants seeking to naturalize.
