The number of migrants approved for citizenship dropped by roughly 50 percent amid the pro-America review process set by Donald Trump’s agents at the Department of Homeland Security.
The reduced inflow of migrants will pressure companies to raise wages and increase investment in productivity-boosting workplace technology. The decline will also cut housing costs, helping Americans to get married and raise kids.
There were big fluctuations in applications for naturalization during 2025, yet overall, there was a steep drop in citizenship requests compared to 2024, which was Biden’s final year in office, according to the latest data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), NPR reported.
“During the first few months of Trump’s second term, the administration approved a record-high number of naturalizations. At the peak of 2025, 88,488 applications were approved in one month — the largest number since USCIS began tracking month-by-month naturalization data in 2022,” NPR added.
However, by January of this year, that number fell to only 32,862, which is the lowest number USCIS ever tracked.
The drop off in new applications was also steep. In October of 2025, 169,159 foreigners applied for citizenship. But by the end of November, that number tumbled to only 41,478.
One reason for the big swing was the USCIS’s changes in focus. An agency spokesperson told NPR that the Trump administration is taking a more serious look at those applying for citizenship who live in high-risk countries, and more screening of these applicants has been implemented.
“This includes reimplementing the 2020 naturalization civics test for 2025, strengthened English language requirements, screening social media for anti-American activities, and restoring neighborhood investigations to ensure applicants demonstrate good moral character and an attachment to the Constitution,” USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser told NPR. “USCIS will not take shortcuts in the adjudications process,” he added.
Along with the drop in naturalizations among legal migrants, there was also a huge decline in illegal migration:
It seems evident that many migrants rushed to attain their citizenship early in the Trump administration, but then the drop off occurred when the tighter restrictions and the announcements of more scrutiny for applicants were announced.
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