AI summary
Summary of article:
After the Trump administration tightened immigration policies in its second term, the USCIS naturalization process has slowed significantly. Processing volume and approval volume decreased from April to June, wait times became longer, rejection rates increased, and application and oath processes became more rigorous.
In his second term, President Trump not only took strong actionmigrant ” rel=’154806’>illegal immigration Even the naturalization process has been quite slow. The latest quarterly data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows that only about 71,000 naturalization applications were processed from April to June this year, down 73% from 265,000 applications in the same period last year.
Bloomberg report,Department of Homeland Security The focus of USCIS’s work has been adjusted from service-oriented to strict control, and review of naturalization applications has been strengthened. USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler said the agency has implemented rigorous screening, review and reforms to ensure that U.S. citizenship is granted only to those who qualify.
According to this latest quarterly data, the number of naturalization approvals declined by 75% year-on-year and was the lowest level since 2017.
Lucia Martel Dow, director of the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, an immigrant rights organization, believes the cliff-like drop in numbers, from processing applications to approving naturalization, is unprecedented.
Rejection rates have increased among processed naturalization applications. For example, the rejection rate in Los Angeles has more than doubled to more than 18%; The denial rate in Baltimore has increased from 7% to 35% in the last fiscal year.
USCIS will introduce a new and more rigorous citizenship test in late 2025. Authorities will expand the evaluation criteria for “good moral character” when evaluating naturalization applications. In the past, about 20% of employment-based green card holders were interviewed when applying for naturalization, but now almost all applicants must be interviewed.
Wait times for naturalization applications are also becoming longer. Earlier this year the average wait time was more than 7 months. Now many areas will have to wait at least 15 months or more, with the shortest time being 9 months.
Under the chilling effect of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, the number of applications for naturalization has also declined. The number of applications received by the USCIS Seattle office declined 35% compared to the same period last year, the Chicago office declined 40%, and the Phoenix office declined 48%.
Even if you get approval for naturalization, the wait for the oath taking ceremony is also long. The time from first approval to swearing-in usually took a month or two. Now, some people are approved in January, and the swearing-in ceremony is not held until September, and the entire naturalization process is not completed.
Summary FAQ
-
The latest quarterly data shows USCIS processed only 71,000 naturalization applications from April to June this year, down 73% from 265,000 in the same period last year; The number of naturalization approvals also declined by 75% year-on-year, reaching the lowest level since 2017.
-
The Department of Homeland Security has shifted the focus of USCIS from service to enforcement, requiring strict screening, review, and remediation, and expanded the assessment of “good moral character”; Additionally, almost all applicants must now be interviewed.
-
Wait times in many places have increased from an average of 7 months at the beginning of the year to at least 15 months or more; Rejection rates have increased significantly in Los Angeles, Baltimore and other places, and it may still take several months to hold a swearing-in ceremony after approval.
