India Now Second-Largest Provider of New US Citizens: Report

The latest “US Naturalisation Policy” report from the independent Congressional Research Service, published on April 15, reveals that in the fiscal year 2022, 969,380 individuals became naturalised US citizens. Of these, 24.5 million, or about 53 per cent, reported their status as naturalised citizens. The report highlights that individuals born in Mexico represented the largest number of naturalisations, followed by persons from India, the Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. Specifically, 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).

It was noted that there has been concern over USCIS processing backlogs for naturalisation applications in recent years. Although there continues to be a backlog, the agency has successfully reduced the number of applications pending completion by more than half since FY2020. As of the end of FY2023, USCIS had approximately 408,000 pending naturalisation applications, down from 550,000 at the end of FY2022, 840,000 at the end of FY2021, and 943,000 at the end of FY2020. In FY2023, 823,702 LPRs submitted naturalisation applications.

However, the number of individuals who have recently applied for citizenship remains well below the estimated population of 9 million LPRs who were eligible to naturalise in 2023. To be eligible for naturalisation, an applicant must fulfill certain requirements set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), including being a lawful permanent resident (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. *)