The federal government is processing U.S. citizenship applications at its fastest pace in decades, with thousands of immigrants becoming newly minted citizens every week, possibly helping sway the result of November’s election.
According to a report from the New York Times, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USIS) is taking an average of 4.9 months to process naturalization applications in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, a pace not seen since 2013 and 2014. This under five-month average processing time is a significant improvement from just three years ago when it took roughly 11.5 months for authorities to process a naturalization application.
Since President Biden took office, 3.3 million immigrants have become naturalized citizens, in part thanks to the administration shortening the naturalization application to 14 pages instead of the previous 20. The administration also raised the fee to apply in April to $710, up from the previous $640, but made it easier for low-income applicants to qualify for a discount.
Green card holders become eligible for American citizenship after five years of holding legal status, while others can become eligible quicker, such as those married to an American citizen for at least three years.
The newly minted American citizens will have rights not afforded to permanent residents, including the right to vote in the upcoming election. This surge in naturalization efficiency could potentially reshape the electorate just months before a pivotal election, according to Xiao Wang, chief executive of Boundless, a company that offers services to immigrants seeking help with the naturalization process.
While it is unclear how many of the new citizens will be eligible to vote in critical swing states, all such states will have a growing number of newly minted U.S. citizens eligible to hit the ballot box. Currently, about nine million more permanent residents are eligible for naturalization, with the largest share being Latinos, who have historically supported Democratic candidates.
Newly minted citizens have historically expressed excitement about voting, with a survey showing that a majority indicated they would definitely or probably vote in the upcoming election.
“This is a wonderful country that we want to be fully a part of,” said Nishang Patel, a 28-year-old dentist and native of Kenya who recently became a naturalized U.S. citizen. “We will contribute and vote.”
The impact of this surge in naturalization on the upcoming election remains to be seen, but it is clear that the process is moving at a record pace, potentially influencing the outcome in November.
