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The Trump administration is tightening the legal immigration process by reinstating a tougher version of the U.S. citizenship civics test, which was originally
introduced in 2020 and later discarded by the Biden administration. This move increases the difficulty for applicants seeking American citizenship.
Under the updated test:
1. Citizenship applicants will now need to study 128 questions covering US history and government and must correctly answer 12 out of 20 questions during the oral exam. Previously, applicants studied 100 questions and had to answer 6 out of 10 correctly.
2. The test remains oral with no multiple-choice options, and most questions allow for several acceptable answers.
3. Those who fail get a second chance, but failing twice means their application is denied.
4. Seniors aged 65 or older with at least 20 years as permanent residents have a simplified test with 20 questions and can take it in their preferred language.
The new test, effective for applications filed after mid-October, includes questions on topics such as the 10th Amendment, the Federalist Papers, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Founding Fathers Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, along with examples of American innovation.
Additionally, the Trump administration is expanding the criteria used to evaluate applicants’ "good moral character" and reinstating “neighborhood checks,” where investigators interview neighbors and co-workers to assess eligibility.
Matthew Tragesser, a spokesman for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said these changes are designed to ensure new citizens are fully assimilated and contribute to America’s success, calling this the “first of many” adjustments planned for the citizenship process.
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