Participants recite the Pledge of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony for new U.S. citizens in Seattle on July 4, 2025. Under the Trump administration, new applicants for naturalization will have to pass a tougher civics test that the government says is intended to ensure that only “fully assimilated” immigrants become new citizens. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
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The Trump administration is making it more difficult for immigrants seeking to naturalize as U.S. citizens to pass the required oral exam. The new test is also longer.
Green card holders who apply for citizenship after Oct. 20 will have to answer twice as many questions correctly in the civics interview that tests their knowledge of U.S. history, politics and government and is one of the final steps in the naturalization process. The list of possible questions will also grow and include more difficult questions.
A spokesperson for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Matthew Tragesser, said in a declaration When the changes were announced recently, the new test will ensure “that those who join us as fellow citizens will be fully assimilated and contribute to the greatness of America.”
It’s just one of several changes the Trump administration has instituted to make citizenship harder to obtain, part of a broader push to limit the ability of immigrants and visa holders to enter, remain or settle in the United States.
The citizenship test used by USCIS since 2008 requires applicants to answer six out of 10 questions correctly. new try will require 12 correct answers out of 20. The list of possible questions the agent will choose from will increase from 100 to 128, and many will be more difficult.
USA Vacation, Geography and Other Questions with Short Answers – “Which ocean is on the west coast of the USA?” » – are reduced or eliminated, and replaced by harsher measures: “Why did the United States enter the Persian Gulf War? (Answer, according to the study guide: “To force the Iraqi army to leave Kuwait.”) Another new question: Why did the United States enter the Vietnam War? (Answer, according to the study guide: “To stop the spread of communism.)
In addition to the more rigorous civics test, citizenship applicants will also have to convince an immigration officer that they have “good moral character.” Until now, the absence of bad behavior or criminal conduct on an applicant’s record was sufficient. Now, they will have to submit proof of their “positive contributions to American society.” Immigration officials will also check applicants’ backgrounds more rigorously, possibly interviewing co-workers, family members or neighbors.
Advocates who help people prepare for the citizenship test say the changes present more obstacles to an already difficult and cumbersome process.
“It’s hard to imagine that these changes won’t have a negative impact on the number of people able to continue the naturalization process,” said Julie Mitchell, legal director of the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles, which offers citizenship classes. “Especially as these changes will impact people with low literacy levels and those who do not have access to courses and preparation materials.”
She added that the naturalization process could also become more uncertain, because it is unclear what standards immigration officials will use to assess “good moral character.”
Speaking in Washington last monthUSCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the current test is “just too simple” because some questions require simple answers, such as naming the governor of an applicant’s home state or two federal holidays.
“We need to know more,” Edlow said. “Especially if we really want to understand whether someone has a true commitment to the Constitution, as the law requires.”
A woman holds an American flag during a naturalization ceremony.
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A woman holds an American flag during a naturalization ceremony.
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP/Getty Images
But Amanda Frost, professor of immigration law at the University of Virginia and author of You are not Americana book on the history of citizenship forfeiture, argues that while it is appropriate to require citizenship applicants to jump through hoops, there is no evidence that the current naturalization process is failing.
“Has there been any evidence that we are allowing people who do not share our values and who are not good participants in our democracy to naturalize?” asked Frost. “I don’t see any evidence of that.”
She notes that almost half of the Fortune 500 businesses were founded by immigrants or their children.
“Those who become naturalized, and their children, prosper in the United States and that benefits this country,” Frost said.
