Naturalization Approvals Drop 78% in 2026: N-400 Processing Delays, Proposed Fee Increases, and What Citizenship Applicants Must Do Now

As of early October 2026, lawful permanent residents face a significantly slower and more demanding naturalization process. USCIS is approving substantially fewer Form N-400 applications, denying more cases, conducting broader screening, and preparing for potentially higher filing fees.

The changes affect individual citizenship applicants and employers supporting foreign-national employees who are pursuing naturalization while maintaining employment authorization, professional licenses, and long-term workforce plans.

What the 2026 naturalization data shows

The Department of Homeland Security publicly promoted declining immigration and naturalization numbers on October 2, 2026. Its messaging listed “Naturalizations down 75%” alongside claims of 3.3 million removals, 250,000 revoked visas, a 94% asylum denial rate, more than 2,600 Section 287(g) agreements, and travel bans involving 39 countries. Forbes reported on the DHS announcement and the related immigration data.

Independent analysis confirms that naturalization adjudications have sharply contracted:

• A National Foundation for American Policy analysis found that naturalization approvals fell approximately 78% between January 2025 and July 2026.
• The naturalization denial rate increased from approximately 8.4% to 20.1% during that period.
• Monthly approvals that averaged approximately 70,000 in 2024 and 2025 fell to approximately 23,000 in 2026.
• USCIS approved only 16,514 naturalization applications in July 2026.
• More than 742,000 naturalization applications were pending at the end of June 2026, compared with approximately 463,000 in June 2024.
• Median processing times for regular N-400 cases reached approximately 9.5 months, and many cases have remained pending for more than six months.

The broader USCIS workload is also under pressure. USCIS was reportedly on pace to adjudicate approximately 6.6 million applications in 2026, the lowest total since 2014. Separate analyses place the agency’s total pending caseload between approximately 12.1 million and 12.6 million cases. These figures cover all USCIS forms and petitions, not only citizenship applications.

The data therefore reflects both fewer adjudications and more adverse decisions. A pending N-400 does not indicate that the applicant has become ineligible. It does mean that applicants must prepare for extended delays and more intensive review.

Why N-400 adjudications are slowing

USCIS attributes the slowdown to “more rigorous reviews.” The agency has increased the resources dedicated to screening, fraud detection, national security vetting, and case-specific investigations.

An August 15, 2025 USCIS memorandum directs adjudicators to use a holistic, totality-of-the-circumstances approach when evaluating good moral character. Officers must consider positive attributes and contributions rather than limiting the analysis to the absence of criminal conduct or other negative factors.

Relevant positive factors may include:

• Lawful and stable employment history.
• Tax compliance and financial responsibility.
• Family responsibilities and caregiving.
• Community involvement.
• Educational attainment.
• Length of lawful residence in the United States.
• Evidence of rehabilitation and reformation when prior conduct raises concerns.

At the same time, USCIS may examine adverse conduct more closely. False claims to U.S. citizenship, unlawful voting or voter registration, certain criminal convictions, repeated driving-under-the-influence offenses, immigration fraud, and unresolved tax or support obligations can create substantial naturalization problems.

USCIS has also expanded the use of publicly available information in case-specific screening. The agency’s privacy guidance states that it does not conduct proactive social-media monitoring. However, trained officers may review publicly available online information when it is reasonably related to the benefit request. USCIS may preserve relevant information in the applicant’s A-File and provide an opportunity to respond if the information could affect eligibility.

USCIS has further revived neighborhood investigations. These investigations may examine residence, moral character, constitutional allegiance, and community conduct. They are not necessarily conducted in every case, but applicants should expect USCIS to verify information beyond the documents submitted with the N-400.

Changes that affect current N-400 applicants

The 2025 civics test

The civics test depends on the date the applicant filed Form N-400.

Applicants who filed on or after October 20, 2025 must take the 2025 civics test:

• USCIS selects up to 20 questions from a bank of 128 questions.
• The applicant must answer 12 questions correctly.
• The officer stops the test after 12 correct answers or 9 incorrect answers.

Applicants age 65 or older who have held lawful permanent resident status for at least 20 years remain eligible for the special consideration test. That test consists of 10 questions, and the applicant must answer at least 6 correctly.

Applicants should use the official USCIS 2025 civics test materials. Applicants must also monitor updates because USCIS may change elected-official answers before the interview.

Social media and neighborhood investigations

Applicants should assume that publicly available online content may be reviewed when it relates to identity, fraud, criminal conduct, national security, or good moral character. Inconsistencies involving employment, residence, marital history, travel, or prior statements can lead to additional questioning or delay.

Applicants should not delete, alter, or conceal information in response to the possibility of screening. They should disclose required information accurately and obtain legal advice before submitting an N-400 if their online activity, criminal history, or prior immigration filings may create concerns.

Naturalization ceremonies

The final ceremony may also be delayed. In Ohio, attorneys reported that 13 naturalization ceremonies in the Cleveland area were canceled in 2026, including nearly every ceremony scheduled between May and October. The Ohio Newsroom reported on the cancellations and the decline in Ohio naturalizations.

Applicants should not make irreversible travel, employment, or financial decisions based only on an expected ceremony date. Citizenship is generally acquired after the applicant takes the Oath of Allegiance. An approval notice or ceremony appointment does not eliminate the need to comply with USCIS instructions.

A separate “hold and review” policy affecting applicants from certain countries was overturned by a federal court in California on August 24, 2026. Affected applicants should confirm that USCIS has resumed normal processing of their cases rather than assuming that the court order automatically resolved every delay.

Proposed fee increases

DHS has proposed substantial fee increases through its Naturalization Application Fee Adjustments rule:

The proposal would also eliminate the N-400 reduced fee and routine fee-waiver eligibility for Forms N-400 and N-336. Statutory fee exemptions for qualifying current and former armed forces members would remain.

The proposal has not automatically changed the current fees. Applicants must verify the fee schedule in effect on the date of filing. A final rule and effective date are required before the proposed amounts apply.

What applicants and employers should do now

Individual applicants

Applicants should take the following steps:

1. Confirm eligibility before filing. Review continuous residence, physical presence, state or district residence, tax history, travel, arrests, citations, prior immigration filings, and good moral character.
2. Create a complete five-year history. Prepare accurate records of addresses, employers, schools, international travel, marital history, and family information.
3. Collect supporting documentation. Maintain copies of the green card, passports, tax transcripts, court records, probation-completion records, child-support evidence, and relevant rehabilitation documentation.
4. Prepare for the correct civics test. Use the N-400 filing date to determine whether the 2008 or 2025 test applies.
5. Track the case actively. Save every USCIS notice, update address information promptly, attend biometrics and interviews, and respond to requests for evidence by the stated deadline.
6. Avoid premature filing when issues are unresolved. A filing that contains omissions or inaccurate answers can produce a denial, additional investigation, or more serious immigration consequences.

Applicants should file as soon as they are eligible when the case is properly prepared. Waiting solely because processing times are long does not guarantee faster adjudication. Filing incorrectly, however, can create avoidable problems.

Employers and HR teams

Employers should not treat naturalization as an employment authorization event. A pending or approved N-400 does not replace a valid employment-authorizing document until the applicant becomes a U.S. citizen.

HR teams should:

• Continue tracking the employee’s current visa, EAD, or other work authorization.
• Maintain accurate Form I-9 records and complete reverification when legally required.
• Avoid requesting proof of citizenship before it is required for a specific employment purpose.
• Update workforce planning timelines because N-400 delays may affect employees’ travel, federal contracting eligibility, voting-related obligations, or future immigration strategy.
• Coordinate naturalization timing with H-1B visa 2026 filings, green-card processes, international travel, and I-9 compliance procedures.
• Refer employees to qualified counsel when a naturalization issue could affect an existing or future employment-based case.

Employers should also review their broader business immigration and HR compliance resources before making assumptions about citizenship, work authorization, or documentation obligations.

Consult Blasingame Law LLC about your N-400 case

USCIS has stated that “Naturalization is a privilege, not a right,” and that its reforms are intended to reserve U.S. citizenship for applicants who qualify. The current environment requires more than completing the N-400 form. Applicants must present a consistent record, anticipate broader good-moral-character review, prepare for the correct civics test, and respond promptly to USCIS notices.

Blasingame Law LLC provides personalized guidance on naturalization, citizenship, business immigration, employment-based matters, and I-9 compliance. Contact an experienced immigration lawyer for a case-specific consultation at info@blasingamelaw.com or 719-521-2115.