An order to review the United States’ naturalization process, specifically the written testing process, falls under President Biden’s Executive Order 14012 – Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans.
The current naturalization test includes four sections: Reading, writing, civics and the ability to speak English. The reading and writing portions are considered to meet industry standards. A trial will be conducted and will include updates to the speaking and written civics portions of the test. The trial tests will be administered by community-based volunteer groups who work with immigrant English learners as well as lawful permanent residents who are preparing to naturalize. The trial testing will be administered to approximately 1500 people currently enrolled in adult education classes. The USCIS will use the results and feedback to determine viable changes to the tests.
The testing trial is scheduled to take about five months to complete and will be implemented in 2023. Comments regarding the trial can be emailed to natzredesign22@uscis.dhs.gov.
