U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that its efforts to redesign the naturalization test have ended. According to comments cited by USCIS, the redesigned test made it harder for applicants. The redesign, which started in 2022, was meant to improve the test based on suggestions from matter experts. The goal was to find a way to reduce barriers to taking the test.

The naturalization test has two parts: an English test that checks an applicant’s reading, writing, and speaking skills, and a civics test that tests knowledge of U.S. history and government. The proposed changes included:

• Speaking Test: Applicants would have had to describe three images of everyday life. Currently, immigration officers ask applicants about their eligibility and citizenship application to test their English-speaking skills.
• Civics Test: Applicants would have taken a multiple-choice test on a computer, choosing the correct answer from four options. The current test has the officer read the questions aloud, and applicants need to get at least 6 out of 10 questions right to pass.

USCIS received over 1,300 comments from the public about the changes, most of which opposed them. Many felt the new English test did not reflect real-world conversations, and that the new civics test made it harder to understand and answer the questions. USCIS will continue to use the current naturalization test, which has been in place since 2008.

If you have questions about naturalization or any other U.S. immigration-related issue, please contact us. Our clients work directly with attorneys every step of the way to ensure they get expert advice for their particular situations.