Did you know India is second-largest source country for new citizens in US?
Based on the latest available data, CRS said in 2022, as many as 128,878, Mexican nationals became American citizens. They were followed by Indians (65,960), the Philippines (53,413), Cuba (46,913), Dominican Republic (34,525), Vietnam (33,246) and China (27.038).
FollowAs many as 65,960 Indians officially became US citizens, making India the second-largest source country for new citizens in America after Mexico, according to a latest Congressional report. According to US Census Bureau data 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.
In its latest “US Naturalisation Policy” report of April 15, the independent Congressional Research Service in the fiscal year 2022, 969,380 individuals became naturalised US citizens. “Individuals born in Mexico represented the largest number of naturalisations, followed by persons from India, Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic,” it said.
According to the most recent statistics available, CRS estimated that up to 128,878, Mexican people obtained US citizenship in 2022. Following them were the following ethnic groups: 65,960 Indians; 53,413,; Cuba (46,913); Dominican Republic (34,525); Vietnam (33,246); and China (27.038).
India accounted for 2,831,330 foreign-born American nationals as of 2023, the second-highest percentage after Mexico (10,638,429), according to CRS. Mexico and India are followed by China with 2,225,447 foreign-born American nationals.
However, as many as 42 per cent of the India-born foreign nationals living in the US are currently ineligible to become US citizens, CRS report said.
As of 2023, as many as 290,000 India-born foreign nationals who were on Green Card or Legal Permanent Residency (LPR) were potentially eligible for naturalisation. According to CRS, several observers have voiced alarm in recent years about the backlog of naturalization petitions being processed by USCIS.
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.
The lowest percentages of naturalized foreign born immigrants come from Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, El Salvador, and Brazil, while the highest percentages come from Vietnam, the Philippines, Russia, Jamaica, and Pakistan.
