India emerges as second-largest contributor of new US citizens
A recent Congressional report revealed a total of 65,960 Indians officially became United States (US) citizens in 2022, solidifying India's position as the second-largest contributor of immigrants to America. The report highlighted that Mexico led the list with the highest number of naturalizations at 1,28,878. Foreign-born individuals made up approximately 14% of the total US population of 333 million in 2022. Over half (53%) or roughly 24.5 million of these foreign-born residents have achieved naturalized citizen status in America.
Other countries contributing to US naturalization numbers
The Congressional report also detailed that other countries contributing significant numbers of naturalized citizens included the Philippines, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, and China. As of 2023, there were a total of 2,831,330 foreign-born American nationals from India. This figure is second only to Mexico's count of 10,638,429 and followed closely by China with a total of 2,225,447 foreign-born American nationals. However, 42 % of the India-born foreign nationals living in America are currently ineligible to become US citizens.
Nearly 3 lakh Indians eligible for naturalization in 2023
As of 2023, around 290,000 Indian-born foreign nationals holding Green Cards or Legal Permanent Residency (LPR) status were potentially eligible for naturalization. However, there have been concerns over processing backlogs at USCIS in recent years. Since financial year 2020, there has been a significant reduction in pending applications by more than half. In financial year 2023 alone, 823,702 LPRs submitted naturalization applications.
Naturalization rates vary among foreign-born individuals
The rate of naturalization among foreign-born individuals varies based on several factors, including their country of origin. Countries like Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil have the lowest percentages of naturalized foreign-born individuals. On the other hand, countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Russia, Jamaica, and Pakistan boast the highest percentages according to the Congressional report.
