• Home
  • Country Index
  • About US
  • Contact

Immigration World

The World Has No Boundarys

  • Canada
  • Dubai
  • France
  • India
  • Italy
  • Sweden
  • UK
  • USA
  • etc
  • Country Index

Home » USA » Spike In The Number Of Immigrants Getting US Citizenship

Spike In The Number Of Immigrants Getting US Citizenship

May 26, 2019 by Filter Coffee

  • The number of immigrants who became citizens increased by 15% between 2017 and 2018
  • Indians are the second largest group of immigrants-turned-citizens
  • Eligibility to vote cited as one of the reasons for applying for citizenship

Immigration norms in the USA have been tightened over the past few years to make it increasingly difficult for people to migrate to the country. Interestingly, as immigration becomes more difficult, the value of US citizenship increases. This is clear given the number of immigrants who became US citizens in the fiscal year 2018.

US citizenship
US Passport. Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

In the first three quarters of 2018, over 544,000 immigrants became US citizens. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, this marked an increase of 15% as compared to the same period in the previous year.

According to data from the USCIS, a total of 707,000 immigrants became US citizens in 2017. However, this increase was not the same throughout the year. While the numbers grew in the first two quarters, they dipped a bit in the third quarter.

Check out – The Indian American Voter In 2020 – The Indian Effect on US Elections

USA Foreign-Born Population Quick Facts

The information is based on the latest American Community Survey (ACS) for 2018

  • A total number of the foreign-born population in the USA population as of July 1 2018 – 44.7 million which is 13.7% of the total USA population.
  • The total USA population – 327 million
  • Indians 2.7 million and Chines 2.9 million
  • In 2018 there were only 1.8 million Indians and 2.2 Chines immigrants
  • Since 2010 there is a 49% rice in Indian immigrants and a 32% rise in Chines immigrants

Number Of Immigrants To Get US Citizenship

YearQ1Q2Q3
2017106,030159,401207,227
2018163,270177,010204,195

Indians Becoming US Citizens

In 2018, 37,431 immigrants who became US citizens were Indian immigrants. This was about 7% of the total number of immigrants who became US citizens. The same period for the previous year (2017) saw almost 6,000 fewer Indians become US citizens.

Thus, the percentage of Indians getting US citizenship grew by 19%. In comparison, the percentage of Mexicans becoming US citizens grew by 22% and Chinese grew by 18%.

Indians were the second largest group of immigrants after Mexico. Indians were followed by Chinese who accounted for 5% of the total immigrant –turned-citizen population.

Why The Spike In US Citizenship Applications?

One of the many reasons for the spike in citizenship applications is voting in the next year’s elections. Being able to vote will give these immigrants a voice in the US democracy. It will also give them the same rights as other US citizens.

The rapidly changing immigration norms has also made some green card holders hurry to apply to citizenship as the rules may change at any time.

Challenges To Becoming A US Citizen

Immigrants who have been living in the USA legally on a Green Card can apply for citizenship after 5 years. The H1B visa is the most popular visa used to become a citizen of the USA. Alternatively, immigrants can apply for citizenship 3 years after marrying a citizen.

The individual must be over the age of 18 years, must be able to speak, read and write English fluently and must have good moral character.

In addition, prospective US citizens must also pay an application fee of $725 and pass a citizenship exam. This exam can be quite challenging even to people who have spent their entire life in the country.

US Citizenship Applications – Backlog

As the number of people applying for citizenship increases, the backlog of citizenship applications is also rising. Applications processing has been delayed and the backlogs are at a record high. On an average, an application takes about 10 months to be processed.

After the application is processed, it could take a further year and a half for the individual to complete other formalities such as biometrics, the citizenship exam, interview and oath ceremony before becoming a citizen. Thus, streamlining the citizenship process will be one of the critical issues in the 2020 elections.

According to data by the USCIS, the application backlog has increased by 4,000 to reach 738,000 in the fiscal year 2018. This is despite a drop of 183,000 in the overall number of applications received during the year.

Year Applications ReceivedBacklog
2017987,000 734,000
2018804,000738,000

Also See

  • The Average American Supports High Skilled Immigrants In The USA
  • Illegal Migrant Population in the USA is Dipping
  • Asians to Account for the Highest Percentage of Migrants in the USA
  • Trump’s Merit Based Immigration And Green Card System – Key Points
  • Changing Demographics Of Immigrants In The USA

Filed Under: USA Tagged With: citizenship, immigration and settlement, Permanent Residency, US citizenship, usa immigration

Follow US

  • facebook
  • twitter

Recent Posts

  • How Indians Are Immigrating Via Golden Visa Programs
  • British Citizenship For Hong Kong Residents With BN(O) Passports
  • Types Of Visa To Denmark – All You Need To Know
  • President Joe Biden To Propose An 8 Year Path To Citizenship In The US
  • H1B Visa Process Of Selection To Be Amended

Top Posts & Pages

  • 9 Countries Indians Can Easily Get Permanent Residency
  • Ways to Migrate to Singapore
  • Top 10 Countries Where You Can Immigrate and Settle Easily
  • How To Migrate To Malaysia
  • How To Migrate To France
  • 6 Easy Ways to Migrate to Canada
  • China Immigration - Eligibility, Job Opportunities and How to Apply
  • Tax Filing In Germany For International Students – Do All International Students Need To File Tax?
  • How to Migrate to Brazil - 6 Categories of Brazilian Permanent Visa
  • How to Apply For Australian Permanent Residency

Tags

Australian citizenship Australian student visa business visa Canada Immigration Canada student visa citizenship citizenship by birth citizenship test Coronavirus cost of living EB5 visa Green Cards H-1B visa H1B Visa H1B visa Policy H4 visa immigrate to immigration and settlement Indian e-visa indian students International Students investor visa Migrate to New Zealand student visa no visa travel passports Permanent Residency Schengen Visa Student Visa Study in USA Tax Filing For International Students tourist attraction tourist visa travel ban UK immigration UK Visa USA Green Card usa immigration USA student visa USA Visa US citizenship US immigration US work permit work permit For H4 visa work visa
Feedback | Disclaimer
Copyright © 2021 immigrationworld.com.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT