The federal government is processing citizenship applications at the fastest rate in a decade, eliminating the backlog of cases that occurred during the Trump administration and the coronavirus pandemic.
In ceremonies at courts, convention centers, and sports arenas across the country, thousands of immigrants are becoming new Americans each week — and becoming eligible to vote in time for the presidential election this November.
Generally, lawful permanent residents, known as green card holders, are eligible to become naturalized citizens if they have had that status for at least five years or if they are married to a U.S. citizen for at least three years.
Green card holders have many of the same rights as citizens. But voting in federal elections is a right granted only to citizens. And this can be a powerful motivation to seek citizenship, especially when major national elections are on the horizon.
With less than five months to go, the processing speed of applications is now at the same level as in 2013 and 2014. About 3.3 million immigrants have become citizens during President Biden’s term so far.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services took an average of 4.9 months to process naturalization applications in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, compared to 11.5 months in the fiscal year 2021.
After taking office in 2021, Biden issued an executive order aimed at rolling back the hardline immigration agenda of his predecessor and “restoring faith” in the legal immigration system. Among other measures, the order called for action to “substantially reduce current naturalization processing times” with the goal of strengthening the integration of new Americans.
Unlike many federal agencies, the citizenship agency is primarily funded by fees paid by applicants, rather than appropriations from Congress, giving the administration more leeway to set its priorities and allocate resources.
Source: The New York Times