USCIS Resumes Neighborhood Investigations for Naturalized Citizenship Applicants
This week, the USCIS announced it will restart “neighborhood investigations” of legal immigrants applying for American citizenship. This marks a significant change, as such reviews haven’t been part of the process for decades.
To avoid these neighborhood checks, applicants can submit letters from neighbors, employers, or colleagues who can vouch for them and confirm their eligibility for naturalization. If the neighborhood evidence isn’t included with an application, USCIS may ask for it later. Proactively submitting this evidence might help in potentially waiving the neighborhood investigation altogether; in some cases, a request for additional evidence may not even be needed.
USCIS Director Joseph Edrow expressed in a CBS News interview that the agency aims to ensure that only the most qualified applicants gain citizenship. He emphasized, “Americans should feel reassured that USCIS is committed to thoroughly examining immigrants in alignment with US constitutional principles and upholding the nation’s values.”
Historically, between 1802 and 1981, applicants were required to present witnesses who could certify their eligibility for citizenship. However, that requirement was removed by Congress in 1981. Subsequently, USCIS shifted to neighborhood investigations for assessing legal immigrants seeking naturalization, but this practice ceased in 1991, with a focus instead on biometric data and checks from federal agencies like the FBI.
In a conversation with Breitbart News, Edrow noted that the previous administration had eliminated critical security questions from the naturalization process, effectively accelerating the pace of citizenship awards.
Since taking office, the Biden administration has granted citizenship to nearly 3.5 million immigrants, a figure that surpasses those granted under previous presidents such as Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush combined. Today, there are about 23 million naturalized citizens in the U.S. eligible to vote in local, state, and federal elections.
