The allure of green card isn’t the same anymore. Not many green card holders are keen on US citizenship.
And those who do apply are finding the process increasingly onerous.
Fresh figures from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) tell a story.
It has observed sharp swings in naturalisation numbers through 2025. The year ended in a deep slump.
Data reveals that between February and April 2025, more than 270,000 people filed naturalisation applications. Approvals in March, April, and May outpaced any single month in 2024.
According to a report, 88,488 applications were approved in a single month. That was the highest figure since USCIS began tracking monthly data in 2022.
Then, almost overnight, the mood changed.
October 2025 produced a record 169,159 applications. The very next month, that number collapsed to 41,478, the year’s lowest. December saw 42,569, January 2026 huffed its way up to 46,385. Yet, it still sat nearly 50% below the same period a year earlier.
Approvals followed the same downward arc. By January 2026, monthly approvals had fallen to 32,862 — the lowest on record since USCIS began monthly tracking in 2022.
Those watching the data closely say 2025 broke into two unmistakable chapters: a record-breaking rush, then a reversal that gathered speed with every passing month.
What caused the collapse?
A harder citizenship test, for one thing.
From October 20, 2025, USCIS rolled out a revised Naturalization Civics Test — more questions, deeper knowledge of American history, government, and politics required. Anyone who filed before that date could still sit the older 2008 version. Immigration experts believe the looming deadline fired up the October surge. Once it passed, so did much of the urgency.
But the test is only part of the story.
The application process itself has become increasingly demanding. Officers are looking more carefully at past travel, immigration history, and finer details of each case.
Small complications (things that might once have been overlooked) are now slowing applications down or tipping them into denial. That alone is making people think twice.
Add to that the processing delays that continue to vary widely depending on location, and it becomes easier to understand why many applicants are choosing to sit it out and wait for calmer waters.
Cost plays a role too. Filing fees have climbed over time, and for some, the numbers simply don’t add up right now.
There is another calculation happening as well, one that does not show up neatly in the data.
Some immigration advisers are now telling clients to renew their green cards rather than apply for citizenship. The reasoning is cautious but pointed: a fresh citizenship application could invite a closer look at an applicant’s entire immigration history, not just what is on the current form.
That fear has grown roots. A wave of reviews of previously granted green cards and citizenship statuses through 2025 left many permanent residents feeling exposed. The US Department of Justice’s signals around denaturalisation and citizenship revocation only deepened the unease.
Even people with clean records and full compliance are choosing to stay quiet. The calculation, for many, is simple: why risk it?
Not everyone holding back is afraid, though. Some green card holders are simply content where they are. If citizenship does not offer an immediate benefit they need, the path of least resistance is to stay put.
There is one final irony worth noting. While the road to gaining citizenship has grown steeper, the exit has become cheaper. The State Department has reportedly cut the fee for renouncing US citizenship from $2,350 to $450, a drop of roughly 80%.
The change, published in the Federal Register, follows years of legal pressure from advocacy groups representing Americans who want to walk away. In 2025, it became harder to join. In 2026, it became easier to leave.
Also Read: Trump Unveils $5 MN ‘Gold Card’ For US Citizenship Pathhttps://www.vibesofindia.com/trump-unveils-5-mn-gold-card-for-us-citizenship-path/
