Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to foreign citizens or nationals after fulfilling the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). After naturalization, foreign-born citizens enjoy nearly all the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens, including the right to vote.
The Office of Immigration Statistics Annual Flow Report presents information on the number and characteristics of foreign nationals aged 18 years and over who were naturalized during FY 2012.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report states that in FY2012 a total of 757,434 persons were naturalized. The leading countries of birth of new naturalized citizens were Mexico (102,181), the Philippines (44,958), India (42,928), the Dominican Republic (33,351), and China (31,868). The largest number of persons naturalized lived in the states of California (158,850), Florida (100,890), and New York (93,584). Read the report linked here for more details, “U.S. Naturalizations: 2012“.
Source of Information:
DHS.gov, web page:
http://www.dhs.gov/publication/us-naturalizations-2012
DHS Office of Immigration Statistics, Annual Flow Report – March 2013:
U.S. Naturalizations: 2012
DHS.gov, Data Tables including supplemental tables (XLS files):
Naturalization (FY2012) Data Tables