The cost of applying for US citizenship is about to go up. This will cost

(CNN Spanish) — If your plans include seeking US citizenship in 2024, keep the following information in mind as it’s possible your pocketbook will be affected.

On January 30, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported that starting this year “specific application fees for immigration and naturalization benefits will be adjusted for the first time since 2016.”

As mentioned in this notification, the adjustment to USCIS fees is for naturalization, i.e., related to obtaining US citizenship.

According to the new USCIS fees, those seeking US citizenship will see an increase of up to 19% in some cases.

The above may affect a very large group. According to statistics from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), at the beginning of 2023 there were 9 million people who met the age and duration of residency requirements in the United States to apply for citizenship.

If you are in this group and want to get started with your citizenship application, below we give you details about fee adjustments.

When and how much do costs increase to apply for US citizenship?

A new U.S. citizen holds an envelope with his U.S. citizenship certificate after a naturalization ceremony in Utkiagwick, Alaska, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

USCIS indicates that the new rates will take effect on Monday, April 1, 2024. Before that date, you will still be able to apply with the previous rate.

The application for US citizenship is the N-400 (Petition for Naturalization). These are the current rates and the new rates that will take effect in April:

N-400 Naturalization Application (Online Submission)

• Current price: US$640
• New rate starting in April: US$710
• 11% increase (or $70 more)

N-400 Naturalization Application (Online Submission) (With Biometric Services)

• Current price: US$725
• New rate: US$710
• 2% off (or US$15 less)

N-400 Naturalization Application (Submission in Printed Format)

• Current price: US$640
• New rate: US$ 760
• 19% increase (or $120 more)

N-400 Naturalization Application (Paper Submission) (with Biometric Services)

• Current price: US$725
• New rate: US$ 760
• 5% increase (or US$35 more)

N-400 Application for Naturalization (Applicants with household income between 150% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG))

• Current price: US$320
• New rate: US$380
• 19% increase (or $60 more)

N-400 Naturalization Application (Applicants with household income between 150% and 400% of FPG) (with biometric services)

• Current price: US$405
• New rate: US$380
• 6% off (or $25 less)

If you want to know if you are eligible for US citizenship, you can use the USCIS Eligibility Tool for guidance on this matter.

Remember that this is only a tool to guide you and does not really determine whether you qualify or not. USCIS is the only organization that can determine if you are eligible once you file your N-400 application.

To get more benefits, USCIS recommends filing the N-400 application online, which you can do by clicking here.

Similarly, to obtain the lowest FPG cost, the N-400 must be filed with the I-942 petition for a rate reduction request.