India emerged as the second-largest source country for new United States citizens, with 65,960 Indians officially becoming US citizens in the fiscal year 2022, according to the latest Congressional report by the independent Congressional Research Service (CRS). This positions India just behind Mexico, the leading source country for new American citizens.
The US Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicates that in 2022, approximately 46 million foreign-born individuals resided in the United States, making up around 14 percent of the country's total population of 333 million. Of this foreign-born population, 24.5 million—or about 53 percent—reported their status as naturalized citizens.
In its "US Naturalization Policy" report dated April 15, CRS revealed that in the fiscal year 2022, 969,380 individuals became naturalized US citizens. "Individuals born in Mexico represented the largest number of naturalizations, followed by persons from India, Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic," the report noted. Among these, Mexico accounted for 128,878 new US citizens, while the Philippines had 53,413, Cuba had 46,913, and the Dominican Republic had 34,525.
The data also showed that as of 2023, the foreign-born American population from India totaled 2,831,330, which makes India the second-largest source of foreign-born Americans after Mexico's 10,638,429. China followed with 2,225,447 foreign-born Americans.
However, the report also mentioned that as many as 42 percent of India-born foreign nationals living in the US are currently ineligible to become US citizens. Despite this, about 290,000 India-born foreign nationals on Green Card or Legal Permanent Residency (LPR) status are potentially eligible for naturalization.
In recent years, concerns have arisen over the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) processing backlogs for naturalization applications. However, the report indicated that since fiscal year 2020, the agency has reduced the number of pending naturalization applications by more than half. As of the end of FY2023, USCIS had approximately 408,000 pending naturalization applications, a significant reduction from the 943,000 backlogs in FY2020.
While the number of naturalization applications remains high, it is still well below the estimated population of 9 million LPRs eligible to naturalize in 2023. The percentage of foreign-born individuals who naturalize varies depending on factors like country of origin. Immigrants from Vietnam, the Philippines, Russia, Jamaica, and Pakistan have the highest rates of naturalization, while those from Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil have the lowest.
To be eligible for naturalization, an applicant must meet specific criteria outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which generally include being a lawful permanent resident for at least five years.
With this report, it is clear that a significant number of Indians have chosen the United States as their new home, becoming an integral part of the country's diverse population. The data also suggests that despite the backlog, progress is being made in processing naturalization applications, offering a pathway for more India-born LPRs to become US citizens.
Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/migrate/nearly-66000-indians-took-oath-of-american-citizenship-in-2022-crs-report/articleshow/109485582.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
