1. India ranks as the second-largest source of new US citizens after Mexico.
2. The latest Congressional report confirms 65,960 Indians obtaining US citizenship.
3. India’s contribution to new US citizens highlights its growing presence in America.
Washington, D.C., April 22:Â India has emerged as the second-largest source country for new citizens in the United States, with a total of 65,960 Indians officially becoming US citizens, according to the latest Congressional report.
This positions India after Mexico in terms of contributing new citizens to America.
The report highlights that a significant proportion of the US population comprises foreign-born individuals, with an estimated 46 million residing in the country in 2022, making up around 14 percent of the total US population of 333 million.
Among these, approximately 24.5 million, or about 53 percent, reported their status as naturalised citizens.
In the fiscal year 2022, a total of 969,380 individuals were naturalised as US citizens, with individuals born in Mexico representing the largest number of naturalisations, followed closely by persons from India, the Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
In terms of the latest available data, Mexican nationals topped the list with 128,878 individuals becoming American citizens in 2022, followed by Indians with 65,960, the Philippines with 53,413, Cuba with 46,913, the Dominican Republic with 34,525, Vietnam with 33,246, and China with 27,038.
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As of 2023, the number of foreign-born American nationals from India stands at 2,831,330, making India the second-largest contributor after Mexico, which has 10,638,429 foreign-born American nationals.
China follows with 2,225,447 foreign-born American nationals.
However, despite the significant numbers, the report notes that as many as 42 percent of India-born foreign nationals living in the US are currently ineligible to become US citizens. As of 2023, around 290,000 India-born foreign nationals on Green Card or Legal Permanent Residency (LPR) status were potentially eligible for naturalisation.
The report also sheds light on USCIS processing backlogs for naturalisation applications.
Although there has been a backlog of naturalisation applications since FY2020, the agency has made significant progress in reducing the number of pending applications.
As of the end of FY2023, USCIS had approximately 408,000 pending naturalisation applications, down from 943,000 at the end of FY2020.
The report underscores that the percentage of foreign-born individuals who are naturalised varies by country of origin.
Immigrants from Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil have the lowest percentages of naturalised foreign-born, while those from Vietnam, the Philippines, Russia, Jamaica, and Pakistan have the highest.
To be eligible for naturalisation, applicants must meet certain requirements outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), including being a lawful permanent resident (LPR) for at least five years.
