In 2022, at least 66,000 Indians obtained official US citizenship

According to a recent Congressional study, up to 65,960 Indians obtained legal US citizenship, making India the second-largest source nation for new citizens in America, after Mexico.

According to US Census Bureau statistics from the American Community Survey, 46 million foreign-born people lived in the country in 2022, making up 14% of the 333 million people who call the US home.

Of them, 24.5 million, or around 53%, declared themselves to be citizens via naturalization.

969,380 people got naturalized US citizens in the fiscal year 2022, according to the independent Congressional Research Service’s most recent “US Naturalization Policy” study, released on April 15.

According to the report, “people from Mexico accounted for the greatest number of naturalizations, followed by people from the Philippines, India, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.”

According to the most recent statistics available, CRS estimated that up to 128,878, Mexicans obtained US citizenship in 2022. Following them were the following ethnic groups: 65,960 Indians; 53,413, Filipinos; Cuba (46,913); Dominican Republic (34,525); Vietnam (33,246); and China (27.038).

India accounted for 2,831,330 foreign-born American citizens as of 2023, the second-highest percentage after Mexico (10,638,429), according to CRS. China has 2,225,447 foreign-born American nationals, ahead of Mexico and India.

However, according to the CRS research, up to 42% of foreign nationals who were born in India and are presently residing in the US are not eligible to apply for US citizenship.

Up to 290,000 foreigners with Green Cards or Legal Permanent Residency (LPR) who were born in India might become naturalized citizens as of 2023.

According to CRS, several observers have voiced alarm in recent years about the backlog of naturalization petitions being processed by USCIS.

applicants for naturalization are still backlogged, but since FY2020, the department has cut the number of applicants awaiting processing in half.

USCIS had around 408,000 outstanding petitions for naturalization as of the end of FY2023, compared to 550,000 at the end of FY2022; 840,000 at the end of FY2021; and 943,000 at the end of FY2020.

823,702 LPRs filed petitions for naturalization in FY2023. The predicted population of 9 million LPRs who were eligible for naturalization in 2023 is still much less than the number of people who have filed for citizenship lately. The nation of origin is one of numerous variables that affect the proportion of naturalized foreign-born people.

The lowest percentages of naturalized foreign born immigrants come from Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil, while the largest percentages come from Vietnam, the Philippines, Russia, Jamaica, and Pakistan.

An applicant must meet the eligibility standards outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) in order to be considered for naturalization. Being a legal permanent residence (LPR) for at least five years is usually one of the prerequisites.