Immigration Reform news update 2016: USCIS increases application fees for first time in 6 years

The immigration fees go up for the first time in six years, which means that it is now more expensive to apply for U.S. naturalization.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a statement that they are applying a "weighted average" price hike of 21 percent that will be used to cover the costs of avoiding fraud cases and all-around processing.

Applications filed after Dec. 23 will be subject to this new pricing. CNBC says that with the price increase, immigrants seeking citizenship applications will find it extra difficult than it already is.

However, USCIS director Leon Rodríguez argues that they know full well the effect that the price hike will incur, which is why it took a long time for them to actually implement the price increase.

Either way, USCIS says that it actually took into account immigrants with limited resources but are still seeking U.S. naturalization.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Peter Boogaard told CNBC that USCIS will also offer "a reduced filing fee for certain naturalization applicants with limited means."

He did emphasize that the increase in the fees was much-needed nevertheless. "These changes are now necessary to ensure USCIS can continue to serve its customers effectively," he said.

Pace University professor and immigrant attorney Glenn Martin Miller still believes that the price increase will be "a burden for a family of two" although this often results in a surge in applications as they would want to apply before the costs get even higher.

For William Stock, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the USCIS would want to first deal with the backlog of applications, which he believes will worsen with the price increase.

He said that "Adjudication backlogs are more than just an inconvenience, they have serious repercussions" for applicants, adding that a lot of people "want to become citizens as soon as possible."