Workforce News 2026June26

Proposed Rule Would Significantly Increase Cost of U.S. Citizenship

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule on June 23 that would significantly increase the cost of becoming a U.S. citizen and eliminate longstanding affordability options that have helped many lawful permanent residents pursue naturalization. The proposal would raise fees for the naturalization application (Form N‑400) and related filings and remove both reduced-fee options and fee waivers currently available to lower income applicants. Specifically, the proposal is to raise the cost of filing for naturalization from $760 to $1,330 for paper applications and from $710 to $1,280 for online applications. Fees associated with appealing a denied naturalization application would also increase substantially. At the same time, the rule would eliminate the reduced fee available to applicants with household incomes below 400% of the federal poverty level and end the availability of fee waivers altogether. Fee exemptions would remain in place for current and former members of the U.S. armed forces, as required by statute. DHS states that these changes are intended to align naturalization fees with the full cost of adjudicating applications, rather than relying on cross-subsidization within the immigration system. This approach marks a departure from prior policy frameworks that kept naturalization fees comparatively lower in order to encourage citizenship and promote integration.

The proposal arrives amid a broader set of policy and regulatory changes affecting immigrants’ ability to live and work in the United States. Recent actions have tightened procedural requirements for immigration filings and limited access to employment authorization documents. At the same time, policy changes affecting pathways to permanent residence—including new limitations on adjustment of status—have introduced additional uncertainty into long-term immigration processes. Taken together, these developments reflect a cumulative shift toward higher costs, increased administrative barriers, and greater complexity across multiple stages of the immigration system. For aging services providers, these changes are not abstract—they have direct implications for workforce stability. The sector relies heavily on foreign-born workers across a wide range of roles, including nursing assistants, home care aides, and other frontline caregiving positions, as well as administrative support, facilities maintenance, dining services, and housekeeping. Many of these workers are already navigating lengthy and complex pathways to permanent residence and citizenship. Additional financial barriers at the naturalization stage risk slowing or deterring that progression, particularly for workers with modest incomes. Reducing participation in the naturalization process is likely to have downstream effects on workforce retention, stability, and long-term integration.

Some LeadingAge members have developed programs to support employees through this transition and help staff pursue citizenship. These efforts—often including financial support, legal assistance, and community-based programming—reflect a broader understanding that citizenship strengthens workforce stability, deepens employee engagement, and supports long-term retention. For providers investing in these programs, increased federal costs may create additional challenges for both employees and employers seeking to maintain these pathways.

The proposed rule is open for public comment through August 24, 2026. LeadingAge is closely reviewing the proposal. Members and their residents who are interested in submitting comments are encouraged to reach out to Amanda for additional guidance.

KFF Data Reaffirms Health Care’s Reliance on Immigrants

New data from KFF show that the total number of immigrant workers in the U.S. remained relatively stable between early 2025 and spring 2026, despite significant shifts in immigration policy. Beneath that stability, however, the composition of the workforce was altered. KFF finds declines in the number of noncitizen immigrant workers alongside increases in naturalized citizens—leaving overall immigrant workforce numbers mostly unchanged. Within the health care sector, while immigrants represent about one in six workers overall, they account for 30% of direct care workers in long-term care settings, including those providing hands-on daily support to older adults. For LeadingAge members, this reaffirms what we already know: even modest shifts in immigration policy can have outsized effects on direct care staffing, given the sector’s ongoing reliance on immigrant workers.

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