USCIS announces major changes to the Naturalization Test

November 25, 2020
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USCIS recently announced significant changes to the civics test mandatory for most applicants seeking to obtain U.S. Citizenship.  The new test will have 128 Civics questions.  The applicants will be required to answer 20 questions instead of 10 under the currently existing version of the test.  The applicants will need to give correct answers to 12 questions in order to pass.   Some of the substantive changes include the removal of the questions regarding geography and some changes to previously existing answers.   The examining officers will also ask all 20 questions even if the applicant achieves a passing score. The changes, however, will not impact older applicants who have been residing in the U.S. for a considerable period of time.   Naturally, the changes will not apply to applicants with disabilities claiming medical exception from the Civics and the English requirement. The new Civics Test applies prospectively to naturalization applications filed on or after December 1, 2020. USCIS will process applications filed before December 1, 2020, based on the currently used test.   By: Edyta Salata, Esq.           Ms. Salata focuses her practice in U.S. immigration law. She was named a "Super Lawyer®-Rising Star" and earned the highest Peer Review Rating of AV®-Preeminent™ from the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory attesting to her legal ability and professional ethical standards. Ms. Salata received her Juris Doctor from University of Illinois College of Law in May 2002 and Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago in January 1999. Ms. Salata is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); she served as a co-chair of the New Americans Initiative and UPL Committees and a member of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Committee (CBP) of the Chicago Chapter. She was also named as chairperson of the Immigration Law Committee of the DuPage County Bar Association. Ms. Salata has written extensively in the area of immigration law and is a frequent speaker at bar association conferences.  
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