The Road to Naturalization - Addressing the Barriers to U. S. Citizenship

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Sage

The Road to Naturalization examines why eligible immigrants do not always complete U.S. citizenship naturalization, and frames civic and economic stakes of expanding access. It profiles the lawful permanent resident population eligible to naturalize, detailing geographic concentration, income and education barriers, English proficiency gaps, and age or length-of-residence factors affecting testing and requirements. It reviews citizenship trends through recent fiscal years and identifies organizational efforts, concluding with policy recommendations to improve affordability and accessibility.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

A Portrait of Those Eligible to Naturalize

Lawful Permanent Residents in the U.S. Eligible to Naturalize

Naturalization Eligible: Percentage Eligible for an Application Fee Waiver

Citizenship Trends

The Road to Naturalization: Addressing the Barriers to U. S. Citizenship Introduction Democracy — the bedrock of America — is best sustained with an active and informed citizenry. Today, more than 8.8 million lawful permanent residents (LPRs) throughout the United States are eligible to naturalize. Yet, fewer than 800,000 have naturalized every year for the last six years.1 The lawful permanent resident population of the United States continues to grow as millions of eligible-to-naturalize immigrants do not take the steps to become citizens.2 At a time when we see declining civic participation, our nation cannot afford to allow these potential citizens to languish. Many people who are eligible to naturalize and desire to do so face significant barriers. Our nation should work to remove unnecessary barriers to citizenship and help would-be citizens overcome difficulties. Naturalizing more eligible individuals also would provide significant economic benefits to our country, because it helps immigrants improve their social and economic status. Naturalized immigrants generally have higher incomes than permanent residents. In addition, once they naturalize, they have access to rights and opportunities that are available only to U. S. citizens, allowing them the opportunity to help our country reach its full potential, both economically and civically. This paper provides a general overview of immigrants eligible to naturalize, the naturalization process, the economic benefits of and barriers to naturalization, and efforts by the New Americans Campaign to assist eligible immigrants to become citizens. It concludes by providing policy recommendations to make the process more accessible and affordable to all eligible immigrants. A Portrait of Those Eligible to Naturalize The United States is home to an estimated 12.1 million lawful permanent residents,3 of whom more than 8.8 million are eligible to naturalize. Of the eligible-to-naturalize population as of 2012, 29 percent, or about 2.5 million people, were born in Mexico. Rounding out the top five were nationals of India, China, Cuba and Canada. Overall, 50 countries of origin have 25,000 or more naturalizationeligible people in the United States.4 Lawful Permanent Residents in the U.S. Eligible to Naturalize States with the Largest Numbers of Lawful Permanent Residents Eligible to Naturalize 2 Naturalization Eligible: Percentage Eligible for an Application Fee Waiver Although immigrants eligible to naturalize live in all 50 U. S. states, the majority, 58 percent, live in four states: California (2 .27 million), Texas (980,000), New York (920,000) and Florida (800,000) . Approximately 73 percent of the naturalization-eligible population lives in 10 states.5 The metropolitan areas with the highest number of naturalization-eligible people are New York City (1 .14 million), Los Angeles-Long Beach (940,000), Miami-Fort Lauderdale (500,000), Chicago (340,000) and Houston (290,000) .6 Segments of the naturalization-eligible population face particular challenges. About 2.8 million people, or 32 percent of the naturalizationeligible population, have an income below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.7 For a family of four, an annual income of $36,450 is 150 percent of the federal poverty level.8 Although almost 65 percent of those eligible to naturalize say they speak English either very well or well, more than 3 million naturalization-eligible persons still report that they do not knowhow to speak English or speak only a little. In terms of educational attainment, 1.8 million (22 percent) have a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree and 1.5 million (18 percent) have some college experience. However, more than 3 million (35 percent) of the eligibleto-naturalize population report an educational attainment of less than high school.9 Age and length of residence in the United States are important factors in the eligible-to-naturalize population. Depending o

FAQs

What are the main barriers to naturalization discussed in the paper?

The paper highlights practical obstacles such as limited English proficiency, lower income and education levels, and procedural or requirement-related challenges that reduce uptake among eligible lawful permanent residents.

How does the paper describe who is eligible to naturalize?

It estimates the size of the lawful permanent resident population and breaks down eligibility by country of origin, state concentration, and demographic factors like age and length of residence.

What do the citizenship trends show in recent fiscal years?

The paper reports approved naturalization applications for FY 2015, compares it with FY 2014 and the record FY 2008 level, and explains how surges in applications can increase processing time.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Sage