New Changes to U.S. Citizenship Process Include Harder Tests and Stricter Background Checks

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced through a social media post that it has successfully revised the naturalization test taken by thousands of applicants each year seeking U.S. citizenship. The agency said the updated exam is intended to ensure that future citizens understand both the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, as well as what it means to be American.

The changes were first signaled in September, when lawful permanent residents applying for naturalization began encountering a revamped civics test designed to be longer, more demanding and more subjective than earlier versions.

The push for a tougher exam began in 2025, after USCIS received guidance to more closely evaluate applicants' English proficiency, knowledge of U.S. history and understanding of what the agency describes as American values.

Among the most significant revisions is an expanded civics question bank, which now includes 128 possible questions on U.S. history and government, up from the previous pool of 100.

The oral interview portion of the test was also lengthened, increasing from 10 questions to 20. Applicants must now answer at least 12 correctly to pass, doubling the previous threshold.

While many of the changes were already underway, USCIS announced on Jan. 5 that it is also implementing stricter background checks, narrowing eligibility for medical waivers and applying more rigorous standards when evaluating an applicant's moral character. The agency also said it has expanded field investigations, including visits to applicants' neighborhoods, to verify eligibility.

In a post on X, USCIS said it has

"USCIS has strengthened screening and vetting of aliens wanting citizenship by visiting neighborhoods to meet with neighbors and employers to verify their eligibility to be here, their character, and their assimilation into our way of life," the agency wrote on X.

As reported by the Miami Herald, USCIS has said the test revisions stem from one of President Donald Trump's executive orders titled "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats."

Advocacy groups, however, argue that the changes go beyond security concerns and may discourage eligible immigrants from pursuing citizenship.

The nonprofit National Partnership for New Americans said the revised test moves away from straightforward responses and instead requires more detailed explanations of historical concepts, which critics say introduces subjectivity.

"This new citizenship test is part of a deliberate effort to exclude rather than educate," NPNA Executive Director Nicole Melaku said. "Access to citizenship should not hinge on income, literacy, subjective interpretations of history or personal expression."

A joint report from NPNA and the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at UC San Diego shows the test changes have already led to a nearly 24 percent increase in citizenship application denials, comparing the first six months of the second Trump administration with the last six months of the Biden administration.

The nonprofit warns that making the process harder will worsen the backlog of applications and put more pressure on already strained agency resources. Median processing times for naturalization applications have jumped from 5.2 months to 7.9 months, with advocates expecting delays to continue growing.

"When we see a nearly 24 percent spike in denials, processing times ballooning, canceled citizenship ceremonies due to the government shutdown, and advocates across the country sounding the alarm, the message is clear: we are witnessing the dismantling of our legal immigration system that hurts families, weakens our communities, and undermines the very democracy this test claims to celebrate," Melaku said.