On September 18, 2025, USCIS will announce the implementation of the 2025 Naturalization civics test through a Federal Register. This test evaluates an applicant's understanding of U.S. history and government, adhering to statutory requirements.

Before the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test is put into practice, USCIS will revise the Naturalization Test and update study materials and resources for educational programs. These resources will feature a bank of 128 potential civics test questions, with 20 questions being randomly chosen for each applicant's test, along with their answers.

USCIS will implement the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test as follows:

1. The Naturalization Applicants who have already filed a naturalization application, or who file a naturalization application less than 30 days (October 17, 2025) after the notice is published in the Federal Register, will take the 2008 Naturalization Civics Test.

2. The Naturalization Applicants who file a Naturalization application 30 days or more after (October 18, 2025) the notice is published in the Federal Register will take the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test; and

3. With respect to the Naturalization Applicants who qualify for special consideration because they are age 65 or older and have resided in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years, USCIS will continue to administer a test with 10 questions from a specially selected bank of 20 test questions from either the 2008 or 2025 Naturalization Civics Test. Specifically, the Naturalization Applicants who have already filed a naturalization application, or who file a naturalization application less than 30 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register, will be administered a test with questions from the 2008 Naturalization Civics Test, while the Naturalization Applicants who file a naturalization application 30 days or more after this notice is published in the Federal Register will be administered a test with questions from the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test. Regardless of their filing date, these Naturalization Applicants will only need to answer six questions correctly to achieve a passing score.

Most Naturalization Applicants who will be subject to the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test will not be tested until at least three months after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register based on the 30-day delay and interview scheduling times.

Also, USCIS has already announced several changes, including restoring robust vetting for all Naturalization Applicants and stricter reviews of disability exceptions to the English and civics requirements. USCIS has also provided officers guidance on assessing Naturalization Applicants' good moral character, looking for positive contributions to American society instead of a mere absence of bad behavior. The agency is also resuming neighborhood investigations to ensure that the Naturalization Applicants meet statutory requirements and are worthy of U.S. citizenship. Other recent policies include clarifying that unlawfully voting, unlawfully registering to vote, and making false claims to U.S. citizenship disqualify the Naturalization Applicants from showing good moral character.

More changes to the Naturalization process are expected to be introduced by USCIS in the coming weeks and months.

Disclaimer

We regularly update our blog section to acquaint the community with the latest changes in Immigration policies. Please note the information in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be nor should it be construed as legal advice. We can promptly and efficiently represent clients located anywhere in the US or abroad on US Immigration Policies. If you seek further clarification, don't hesitate to contact SanSha Law Office at [email protected] or call us at 469-777-6161.