USCIS announces major changes to the Naturalization Test

November 25, 2020
×Close
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.  
Upcoming Webinars
VIEW ALL

Related News

VIEW ALL
White House prepares new immigration limits, using coronavirus as cover

The Trump administration is preparing to roll out another set of restrictions on legal immigration, citing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, even as it argues for the reopening of the US economy, according to sources familiar with the deliberations. Despite a push from President Donald Trump to move past the pandemic, the administration is continuing to usher […]

Success Story: EB-1a approved in two weeks

Attorney Mika B. Kozar filed an EB-1 Extraordinary Ability Immigrant Petition for one of the most prominent, accomplished, and forward thinking experts in the field of Enterprise Solutions Architecture, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IOT), and Machine Learning.   The self-petitioned beneficiary is well known in the global information technology industry for […]

New Executive Order banning the entry of certain non-immigrants delayed as the President’s Cabinet Members and Top advisors could not reach a consensus.

  The Trump administration is weighing a significant expansion of current visa restrictions for foreign workers, widening the scope to include the highly skilled workers relied on by industries ranging from tech to healthcare. Several of President Donald Trump’s cabinet members and top advisers met on Tuesday [06/16/2020]  afternoon to discuss a possible executive order […]