Proposed Adjustment of United States Naturalization Application Fees by the Department of Homeland Security
美國國土安全部擬調整入籍申請費用
Introduction
The Trump administration has introduced a regulatory proposal to increase the fees associated with the naturalization process for lawful permanent residents.
川普政府提出了一項監管提案，旨在增加合法永久居民入籍過程的相關費用。
Main Body
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeks to align application fees with the comprehensive operational costs of processing, which now include intensified screening and vetting protocols mandated by recent executive orders. Under the proposed rule, the paper-based filing fee for Form N-400 would ascend from $760 to $1,330, while the online filing fee would increase from $710 to $1,280. Furthermore, the cost for appeals board reconsideration is projected to rise from $830 to $1,475. While the $380 fee for applicants whose household income is below 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines remains unchanged, the proposal suggests the elimination of fee waivers and reduced-fee options for Form N-400.
國土安全部 (DHS) 尋求將申請費用與處理的全面營運成本掛鉤，其中現在包含了近期行政命令所要求的強化篩查與審核協定。根據擬議規則，N-400 表格的紙本申請費將從 760 美元增加至 1,330 美元，而線上申請費將從 710 美元增加至 1,280 美元。此外，上訴委員會重新審理的費用預計將從 830 美元上升至 1,475 美元。雖然家庭收入低於聯邦貧困準則 400% 的申請人費用仍維持 380 美元不變，但該提案建議取消 N-400 表格的費用豁免與減費選項。
This fiscal shift occurs amidst a documented decline in the acquisition of lawful permanent residency among Indian nationals. Data indicates that the number of Indians receiving green cards decreased from 127,010 in 2022 to 66,800 in 2024. This trend follows previous administration attempts to restrict skilled immigration, such as the proposal to increase H-1B visa fees to $100,000, a measure subsequently invalidated by a federal court in Massachusetts. Consequently, the proposed fee increments may further influence the residency strategies of the approximately 6.7 million Indians currently residing in the United States.
此次財政轉向發生在印度國民獲取合法永久居留權人數記錄性下降之際。數據顯示，獲得綠卡的印度人數從 2022 年的 127,010 人減少至 2024 年的 66,800 人。這一趨勢繼承了前任政府限制技術移民的嘗試，例如擬將 H-1B 簽證費增加至 10 萬美元，但該措施隨後被麻薩諸塞州聯邦法院判定無效。因此，擬議的費用增加可能會進一步影響目前居住在美國的約 670 萬印度人的居留策略。
Institutional perspectives on this policy diverge. DHS officials characterize the adjustment as a routine measure to ensure cost recovery for the most significant immigration benefit. Conversely, critics, including former DHS official Adam Klein, posit that such financial barriers may impede the socio-economic integration and civic participation of lower-income applicants, potentially contradicting long-term public policy objectives regarding immigrant mobility.
機構對此政策的看法分歧。DHS 官員將此次調整定義為一項常規措施，以確保最重大移民福利的成本回收。相反，包括前 DHS 官員 Adam Klein 在內的批評者認為，此類財務障礙可能會阻礙低收入申請者的社會經濟融合與公民參與，可能與移民流動性的長期公共政策目標相抵觸。
Conclusion
The proposed fee increases are currently subject to a mandatory 60-day public comment period before potential implementation.
擬議的費用增加在潛在實施前，目前須經過強制性的 60 天公眾評論期。
Vocabulary Learning
The Architecture of 'Bureaucratic Euphemism' & Nominalization
To transition from B2 to C2, a student must move beyond describing an action to framing a concept. The provided text is a masterclass in Administrative Formalism, where the author deliberately strips away the 'human actor' to create an aura of institutional inevitability.
1. The 'Erasure of Agency' via Passive & Nominal Structures
Observe the phrase: "The proposed fee increments may further influence the residency strategies..."
- B2 approach: "The government is raising fees, which might make Indians change how they get residency."
- C2 nuance: The subject is not the government (the actor), but the increments (the abstract concept). By making the "increments" the subject, the text detaches the policy from the politician, presenting the price hike as a mathematical or systemic reality rather than a conscious decision.
2. Lexical Precision: The 'Dignified' Verb
C2 mastery requires replacing common verbs with high-precision, low-frequency alternatives that signal academic authority.
| B2/C1 Equivalent | C2 Institutional Alternative | Contextual Function |
|---|---|---|
| Go up | Ascend | Implies a formal, structured increase. |
| Argue/Say | Posit | Suggests a theoretical claim based on logic. |
| Be different | Diverge | Indicates a formal splitting of perspectives. |
| Stop/Block | Impede | Describes a gradual or structural hindrance. |
3. The Syntactic Pivot: Conversely and Consequently
Notice the placement of these transition markers. They do not merely link sentences; they manage the intellectual trajectory of the argument.
- "Consequently" here bridges a statistical decline (data) to a behavioral projection (strategy). It transforms a simple list of facts into a causal narrative.
- "Conversely" is used to pivot from the official institutional line (cost recovery) to the critical analytical line (socio-economic barriers). This creates a balanced, dialectic structure essential for C2-level essays and reports.
C2 Key Takeaway: Mastery is found in the ability to use Nominalization (turning verbs into nouns, e.g., "adjustment," "acquisition," "implementation") to shift the focus from who is doing what to what is occurring systemically.