Aspiring Americans will soon face a tougher path to citizenship, as the Trump administration reinstates a more challenging naturalization test with expanded questions and stricter requirements. US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Wednesday that applicants who file after Oct. 19 will face a revised civics exam, the New York Times reports, part of the administration's broader effort to narrow legal immigration pathways. President Trump also made the test more difficult in his first term, but President Biden undid the changes in 2021, per KNTV.
An agency spokesman said the changes are intended to ensure new citizens are "fully assimilated" and ready to contribute to the nation. "These critical changes are the first of many," he said. The new version increases the number of questions from 100 to 128. Applicants must now answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly to pass—up from the previous six out of 10. The questions are designed to require more detailed responses, per the Times, moving away from the simpler, one-word answers that had been common. Joseph Edlow, the agency's director, said in July that he thought the test was too easy.
The changes could lengthen applicants' preparation time and make it more likely they'll fail the test on their first attempt, per the Miami Herald. Immigration experts recommend anyone planning to take the test begin studying the agency's materials, which are posted online here, as soon as possible. Other steps being taken by the administration include requiring stricter background checks, limiting use of medical waivers to avoid taking the exam, more demanding evaluations of an applicant's "good moral character," and neighborhood investigations to check on applicants' eligibility for citizenship. The Hill lists some of the new questions, including, "Supreme Court justices serve for life. Why?"
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