As reported by the Federal Register on December 14, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is set to begin conducting trials of planned changes to the US naturalization test in 2023. These proposed changes are due to President Biden’s Executive Order 1402, an order on “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans.” The executive order includes a directive to review the naturalization process.
The current naturalization test consists of four components: reading, writing, civics, and speaking English. According to USCIS, the reading and writing portions of the test are to remain standardized. The proposed trials are designed to test an updated component of the civics portion of the test, as well as a new English-speaking component that could become standardized in the future.
USCIS will conduct these trials over a five-month period in 2023. They will do so by engaging with community-based organizations (CBOs), who will coordinate with lawful permanent residents and immigrant English language learners who are preparing for naturalization. Approximately 1,500 people currently enrolled in adult education classes are proposed to take the new trial test, the results of which could be used to support changes to the official US naturalization test.
CBOs who are interested in participating in the program can visit the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center for updates about requests for volunteer CBOs. Anyone who would like to submit written information, comments, or data regarding the trial and test is welcome to so by emailing them to [email protected].
According to USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou, “We welcome input from – and the participation of – stakeholders who are familiar with this important process, as we continue to improve and update our naturalization test, ensuring that it is consistent with industry testing standards.”
