The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the rollout of a new more rigorous version of the naturalization civics test. It will apply to those applicants who file their naturalization forms 30 days after the Sept 18, which is the date of publication of the notice in the federal register.The ‘2025-naturalization civics test’ will once again feature 20 civics questions drawn from a pool of 128, with applicants required to correctly answer 12 to pass. This is a significant expansion from the older version, which relied on 10 questions from a 100-question pool and required six correct answers.A key procedural change has been introduced: unlike the earlier version, officers will stop the test once the applicant either passes (12 correct answers) or fails (9 incorrect answers). Previously, all 20 questions were asked regardless of performance.USCIS emphasized that the new test ensures a broader and more meaningful assessment of applicants’ knowledge of American history, government, and civic principles, while addressing earlier concerns about interview time and fairness.Older applicants — those 65 years or older with at least 20 years as a lawful permanent resident (aka green card holder) — will continue to face a shorter exam of 10 questions from a special 20-question set, needing six correct responses to qualify.Naturalization (Citizenship) is a privilege that allows foreign nationals to become fully vested members of American society, with important rights and responsibilities that all citizens should exercise and respect, reiterates USCIS.“American citizenship is the most sacred citizenship in the world and should only be reserved for ‘aliens’ – (foreign nationals) who will fully embrace our values and principles as a nation. By ensuring only those aliens who meet all eligibility requirements, including the ability to read, write, and speak English and understand US government and civics, are able to naturalize, the American people can be assured that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to America’s greatness. These critical changes are the first of many,” said Matthew Tragesser, spokesperson at USCIS.During the past few months, in various public forums, Joseph Edlow, director USCIS, has spoken about the need for a change in the citizenship test, terming the current test “too easy”.In fiscal 2024 (year ended Sept 30), 8.18 lakh foreign nationals acquired US citizenship. Mexicans led with as many as 1.07 lakh becoming American citizens (13% of the total), this was followed by Indians, with a little over 49,000 (or 6% of the total) acquiring US citizenship. The trend was similar to earlier years, Indians are the second largest contingent to acquire US citizenship.USCIS states that it will update study guides and retain online access to materials for both the earlier format and the 2025 tests, to help applicants prepare based on when they filed their applications.TOI has covered the ongoing policy announcements for those aspiring to become US citizens. For instance, USCIS officials will take a holistic approach to assessing ‘good moral character’ – moving away from a non-subjective checklist of disqualifying offences. The agency has also resumed neighbourhood investigations, which cover the vicinity of an applicant’s place of residence and employment and include at least the 5-year period prior to the filing of the naturalization application. Other recent policies include clarifying that unlawfully voting, unlawfully registering to vote, and making false claims to US citizenship disqualify foreign nationals from becoming US citizens.The updated exam and other policy changes follow President Trump’s January 2025 executive order on immigrant assimilation and national security, which called for stronger measures to promote a unified American identity.
