Articles Posted in Citizenship & Naturalization

On Friday, September 17, 2021, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) celebrated the 234^th Constitution and Citizenship Day by welcoming over 21,000 new citizens in 335 naturalization ceremonies across this wonderful country.

USCIS Director, Ur M. Jaddou stated, “Citizenship Day and Constitution Day are special days at USCIS – an agency where many people come to work every day to help those at home and abroad realize the full meaning of U.S. citizenship. As we take time to reflect on what citizenship means to each of us, let us share in the commitment to invest fully in this country’s promise to be a place of hope and possibilities for all.”

Please view this USCIS News Release for more details: USCIS to Welcome 21,000 New Citizens in Celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

Nearly 760,000 individuals became naturalized citizens every year between the FY 2015 and FY 2019 period! The total was over 3.7 million new naturalized citizens during that period. The linked fact sheet below summarizes the data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization records to provide information on the demographic characteristics of these new citizens.

Link to PDF of Full Report: Characteristics of People Who Naturalized Between FY 2015 and FY 2019

Source of Information:

To celebrate the 245^th Independence Day, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) held 170 naturalization ceremonies between June 30 and July 7 across America. These combined ceremonies totaled over 5,400 new citizens to our country!

Acting USCIS Director Tracy Renaud stated. “We are committed to promoting policies and procedures that ensure we operate fairly and efficiently and continue to encourage and embrace the full participation of the newest Americans in our democracy.”

Please view this USCIS News Release for more details: USCIS to Celebrate Independence Day with Naturalization Ceremonies Across the Country

President Biden has recorded a welcoming video for newly sworn in U.S. citizens! The video will be used during the naturalization ceremonies and thanks them for choosing the United States. Biden states, “I want to thank you for choosing us and believing that America is worthy of your aspirations,”. He goes on to say, “You all have one thing in common: Courage. The courage it takes to sacrifice and make this journey. The courage to leave your homes, your lives, your loved ones, and come to a nation that is more than just a place but rather an idea,”.

Please view this CNN News Article for more details: Biden records video welcoming new US citizens for naturalization ceremonies

USCIS Video: President Biden USCIS Naturalization Ceremony Video (YouTube)

The USCIS is returning to the Citizenship Testing and Testing Procedure to the 2008 version! This is the version used before the Trump Administration changed it in the last month leading up to the new Biden Administration taking office! This action by the USCIS is following President Biden’s Executive Order, “Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans”!

For complete details, please review USCIS News Release, “USCIS Reverts to the 2008 Version of the Naturalization Civics Test”.

Source of Information:

USCIS has released their full Fiscal Year 2019 (FY2019) performance data for all form types as a statistical table. They have divided the forms by category: Family, Employment, Humanitarian, Citizenship and Naturalization, and Other as the rows. The columns are divided by case status: Received, Approved, Denied, and Pending. These updated FY2019 statistics cover October 1,  2018 through September 2019 by quarter. Here is the link to the table, “USCIS Releases Performance Data on All Form Types for FY2019“.

Source of Information:

USCIS (USCIS.gov), Table (PDF):

On Friday, December 13^th, USCIS updated and expanded its policy guidance (PDF) regarding unlawful acts that may prevent an applicant for naturalization to meet the Good Moral Character (GMC) requirements.

Note*: The commission of, or conviction or imprisonment for, an unlawful act, during the statutory period for naturalization, may render an applicant ineligible for naturalization should the act be found to adversely reflect on moral character.

*USCIS

USCIS has a great resource web page, “Citizenship Resource Center”! They have centralized available online information about becoming a U.S. Citizen. This web page includes citizenship preparation materials and activities and is divided in to three main section:

Learners – Prepare for U.S. Citizenship

Educators – Welcome Teachers

USCIS has released their second quarter, Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017) citizenship and naturalization data for Naturalization (Form N-400 Application) as a statistical table. This table contains data on citizenship and naturalization benefits and application processing times. They have divided the form by category: Category of Naturalization, Case Status, and USCIS Field Office. The columns are divided by case status: Applications Received, Approved, Denied and Pending. These updated FY2017 statistics (second quarter) cover January 1, 2017 through March 31, 2017. Here is the link to the Q2 table, “USCIS Military and Non-Military Naturalization Form N-400 Performance Data (Fiscal Year 2017, 2nd Qtr)“.

Source of Information:

– USCIS.gov, 6/8/17, Table (PDF):

USCIS has released their first quarter, Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017) citizenship and naturalization data for Naturalization (Form N-400 Application) as a statistical table. This table contains data on citizenship and naturalization benefits and application processing times. They have divided the form by category: Category of Naturalization, Case Status, and USCIS Field Office. The columns are divided by case status: Applications Received, Approved, Denied and Pending. These updated FY2017 statistics (first quarter) cover October 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016. Here is the link to the Q1 table, “USCIS Military and Non-Military Naturalization Form N-400 Performance Data (Fiscal Year 2017, 1st Qtr)“.

Source of Information:

– USCIS.gov, 4/4/17, Table (PDF):