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Indians second most naturalized US citizens in 2023
It solidifies India's position as the second-largest source country for new citizens in America.
Nearly 870,000 foreign nationals acquired US citizenship during the fiscal year 2023. / Image - Unsplash
More than 59,000 Indians were naturalized as bona fide US citizens in 2023, solidifying the country's position as the second-largest source country for new citizens in America, following Mexico.
According to the annual progress report recently released by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) nearly 870,000 foreign nationals acquired US citizenship during the fiscal year 2023, ending on September 30, 2023.
Among them, over 110,000 Mexicans accounted for 12.7 percent of the total number of new citizens, while 59,100 Indians constituted 6.7 percent of the total population.
To qualify for naturalization, an applicant must meet specific eligibility criteria outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The requirements typically include being a lawful permanent resident (LPR) for a minimum of five years.
However, there are special naturalization provisions that exempt certain applicants, such as certain spouses of US citizens and individuals with military service, from one or more of the general requirements for naturalization, as stated in the USCIS report.
The majority of individuals who acquired US citizenship last year were eligible for naturalization based on being lawful permanent residents (LPRs) for at least 5 years. Following this, applicants eligible for being LPRs for at least 3 years and married to a US citizen for 3 years constituted a significant portion. Additionally, eligible applicants based on their military service during a designated period of hostilities also accounted for a notable portion of new citizens.
The report further noted that, as a general rule, a non-citizen must spend a minimum of 5 years as a lawful permanent resident to qualify for naturalization.
However, the spouse of a US citizen must spend at least 3 years as a lawful permanent resident to be eligible for naturalization.
Additionally, naturalizations facilitated by the USCIS during the fiscal years 2022 and 2023 accounted for approximately one-quarter of all naturalizations over the past decade.
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