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Immigrants seeking US citizenship are set to face tougher hurdles as the Trump administration has reinstated a tougher version of the naturalisation civics test first introduced in 2020.
The proposed change means an increase in the possible questions from 100 to 128, requiring applicants to answer 12 out of 20 correctly to pass. Currently, applicants are required to answer six questions correctly out of 10.
Officials in Trump’s administration disclosed that the new test “will better assess an alien’s understanding of U.S. history, government, and English language,” and is part of a “multi-step overhaul” of the citizenship process to protect “traditional American culture and values.”
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LA Times reports that Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “We are doing everything in our power to make sure that anyone who is offered the privilege of becoming an American citizen fulfils their obligation to their new country.”
The change has met criticism from immigration advocates who say the move is an attempt to limit legal immigration and impose ideological tests.
Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock of the National Immigration Law Centre had this to say, “The Trump administration lauding the privileges of becoming a U.S. citizen — while making it harder to obtain it — rings hollow.”
