India has risen to become the second-largest provider of new citizens for the United States.
In the fiscal year 2022, 969,380 individuals were granted US citizenship, with Indians ranking as the second-largest group after Mexicans. While USCIS has made strides in reducing naturalization application backlogs, concerns persist.
According to a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report, India has emerged as the second-largest source country for new US citizens, with 65,960 Indians officially obtaining citizenship in FY 2022, trailing only Mexico.
US Census Bureau's American Community Survey data for 2022 indicates that approximately 46 million foreign-born individuals lived in the US, constituting about 14 percent of the total population. Of these, 24.5 million, or roughly 53 percent, were naturalized citizens.
CRS's "US Naturalization Policy" report revealed that Mexico accounted for the largest number of naturalizations, followed by India, the Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. In FY 2022, Mexico saw 128,878 new citizens, while the Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic had 53,413, 46,913, and 34,525, respectively.
As of 2023, the Indian-born foreign population in the US totaled 2,831,330, making India the second-largest source of foreign-born Americans after Mexico. However, the report noted that 42 percent of India-born foreign nationals in the US are currently ineligible for citizenship. Nevertheless, about 290,000 India-born individuals with Green Card or Legal Permanent Residency (LPR) status are potentially eligible for naturalization.
While USCIS has made progress in reducing naturalization application backlogs since FY 2020, with the backlog decreasing from 943,000 to approximately 408,000 by the end of FY 2023, the number of pending applications remains high. Nonetheless, it is below the estimated 9 million LPRs eligible for naturalization in 2023.
The percentage of naturalization among foreign-born individuals varies by country of origin, with immigrants from Vietnam, the Philippines, Russia, Jamaica, and Pakistan having the highest rates, and those from Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil having the lowest.
To qualify for naturalization, applicants must meet specific criteria outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), typically including being a lawful permanent resident for at least five years.
The report underscores the significant number of Indians choosing the US as their new home, contributing to the country's diverse population. Despite processing challenges, progress in naturalization applications offers a pathway for more India-born LPRs to become US citizens.