India Now 2nd Largest Provider of New US Citizens: Report

The independent Congressional Research Service recently published a report on “US Naturalisation Policy” indicating that 969,380 individuals became naturalised US citizens in the fiscal year 2022. Of these, approximately 53% reported their status as naturalised citizens. The report highlighted that individuals born in Mexico accounted for the largest number of naturalisations, followed by persons from India, the Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.

In 2022, 128,878 Mexican nationals became American citizens, followed by Indians (65,960), the Philippines (53,413), Cuba (46,913), the Dominican Republic (34,525), Vietnam (33,246), and China (27,038). The report also mentioned concerns over USCIS processing backlogs for naturalisation applications in recent years, but noted that since FY2020, the agency has reduced the number of applications pending completion by more than half. As of the end of FY2023, USCIS had approximately 408,000 pending naturalisation applications, a significant decrease from 550,000 at the end of FY2022, 840,000 at the end of FY2021, and 943,000 at the end of FY2020.

It was also noted that in FY2023, 823,702 lawful permanent residents (LPRs) submitted naturalisation applications, but this number remains below the estimated population of 9 million LPRs eligible to naturalise in 2023. To be eligible for naturalisation, applicants must fulfill certain requirements set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), including being an LPR for at least five years. * (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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