US Citizenship Approvals Drop 72 Percent Under Trump Administration
President Donald Trump has overseen a 72 percent plunge in citizenship approvals through stricter vetting and remigration efforts, causing the naturalization backlog to exceed 800,000 cases.
U.S. citizenship approvals dropped by 72 percent during the first eight months of 2026, with only 173,000 people approved compared to the previous year. Donald Trump is leading an effort to reshape the naturalization process, which has seen the backlog of pending applications rise from 500,000 to over 813,453 by August. Average processing times have more than doubled, increasing from six months in August 2025 to nearly 13 months.
To achieve these results, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services implemented stricter vetting measures, including a return to the 2020 civics test, higher English proficiency requirements, and social media screening for anti-American activities. The agency is also prioritizing the revetting of applications approved during the Biden administration over new approvals. While approvals plunged, denials also fell by 41 percent, indicating a general slowdown in all case decisions.
The Department of Homeland Security linked the decline to remigration efforts. However, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal accused the administration of blocking green card holders waiting for approval, noting that the delays may prevent eligible applicants from voting in the November midterm elections. These changes occur alongside other restrictions, including the suspension of the PERM labor certification process.
