Almost one million immigrants became US citizens in fiscal year ending September 30, 2022 – the most in almost 15 years. The Covid pandemic caused a backlog of citizenship interviews and processing with office closures, staffing issues, and funding. Those interviews were only just approved in 2022. Additionally, the Department of State approved about twice the number of employer-based applications in 2022 than in previous years. There are still about 670,000 pending naturalization applications. The majority of the new citizens came from Cuba, the Philippines, India, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.
There are still many immigration sticking points that lawmakers are trying to work through including Title 42, Remain in Mexico, DACA, the Wall, and benefits among others. The current Administration states it is trying to streamline processes by simplifying forms and directing applicants away from
cities with offices that are backlogged.
