U.S. Naturalization Test and Citizenship Application Fee Changes for 2007

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced its plans to impose a significant increase in the fee to file the application for U.S. citizenship (Form N-400). Currently, the fee is $400, and estimates
for the proposed increase range from a hike to $600 or even $1,000. The
agency anticipates that the new fee could go into effect as early as April
2007.

The USCIS Rationale for the Fee Hike and the Comprehensive Fee Study

The USCIS maintains that it must comply with federal statutory and administrative requirements to ensure that the costs of services provided to naturalization applicants are fully covered by the fees those applicants pay. In order
to determine the agency’s current costs of providing those services
and to justify the amount of the proposed fee hike, the agency has conducted
a Comprehensive Fee Study that is being reviewed for approval by the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB). The Comprehensive Fee Study has not been
made public. If the OMB approves the increase, the agency will then continue
the administrative process for implementing the fee. This involves publishing
notice of the proposed hike in the Federal Register. Typically, after
a proposed fee increase is published in the Federal Register, the public
has 60 days to comment on the proposal. Thus, after it reviews the public
comments, the USCIS is likely to finally implement the increase in April
2007.

The Fundamental Flaws in Our System of Financing Immigration Services

There have been several significant increases in the naturalization application fee since 1990, when the cost of the application was $90. These increases are the result of a fundamentally-flawed system for financing immigration
services. Congressional mandates are supposed to ensure that the revenue
collected from naturalization applications and certain other immigration
applications must cover the costs of providing services for applicants
who are not charged fees. For example, these fee revenues must cover the
expenses of adjudicating refugee and asylee applications. Thus, the naturalization
application fee essentially contains a “surcharge” to cover
the cost of providing services completely unrelated to naturalization
(Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials).

The Redesign of the Naturalization Examination

Background and the Goals of the Redesign

Since 2000, our nation’s federal immigration services agency has been undertaking a multi-year project to redesign the examination that legal permanent residents must take as part of the process of becoming
a U.S. citizen. Under the law, most naturalization applicants must demonstrate
a basic proficiency in the English language, and a basic knowledge of
the fundamentals of U.S. government and history. The Immigration and Naturalization
Service initiated the redesign effort, and its immigration services successor,
the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), continued
the effort after the
reorganization of the INS in 2003.

The USCIS has set forth two main goals for the redesign:

1. To standardize the examination, and ensure that applicants in different regions of the country have the same basic examination experience; and
2. To make the examination and naturalization process “more meaningful.”

The USCIS Proposed Format for the Redesigned Exam

Currently, the USCIS envisions the following format for the redesigned exam:

• English Reading and Writing:
  The portion of the proposed exam that tests applicants’ ability to read and write English is similar to the existing test, where applicants
  will have up to three chances to read and write a sentence correctly in English. The USCIS will provide
  applicants with materials to prepare for this part of the exam, including a civics-based vocabulary
  list and a list of sample sentences on civics and history topics.
  
  
  
• U.S. Government and History:
  The proposed format for the civics test will consist of applicants being asked 10 out of a total pool of 100 sample questions, and applicants must answer six correctly to pass. The USCIS will make these questions available to the
  public (including publication on the Internet), along with the study guide to help applicants
  prepare.
  
  
  
  
• Spoken English:
  The portion of the exam that tests applicants’ ability to speak English will still include the questions normally asked in the naturalization interview.
  

USCIS Initiates a Pilot Program for the Redesign

In order to assess the impact of the proposed test on applicants, the organizations that provide services to them, and the USCIS itself, the USCIS is initiating a pilot program where the agency will administer the test in select USCIS district offices throughout the nation. The USCIS will administer the pilot test to 5,000 applicants, from mid-January 2007 to late spring or early summer of 2007.