The United States government has announced a rollout of a new civic test that will be legally mandatory for permanent residents, known as green card holders, will be applied to US citizenship from October 20, 2025.
According to US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS), 2025 Naturalization Citizen Testing will be an important part of the naturalization process, designed to ensure that foreign nationals not only demonstrate American history and government knowledge, but also align with American values before providing citizenship.
The updated exam is an oral test of 20 questions, which is drawn from a pool of 128 civil questions.
Applicants must answer at least 12 questions correctly to pass, as the test officials will stop questioning once 12 correct or 9 wrong answers, effectively determines success or failure on the spot.
Civil testing is only part of the effort to tighten the eligibility requirements for citizenship by USCIS.
The agency has restored difficult veterinarian processes and has initiated strict review of disability exemption from English and civilians.
Applicants will now be subject to the “neighborhood investigation”, which require a preliminary letter of neighbors, employers, colleagues or professional colleagues to verify the good moral character.
USCIS guidance also emphasizes that naturalization should reflect positive contribution to American society, not only the absence of misconduct.
Other disqualified behavior exposed includes illegal voting, registering to vote, or making false claims for American citizenship.
Even after naturalization, citizenship is no longer guaranteed for life as the Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicated an increased attention on delterlinding matters, which authorizes civilian proceedings to strip citizenship from individuals who received it through fraud, hide or wrong bayani.
According to a DOJ Memo, violation of false information to reduce income on tax returns during the application process can cause citizenship dismissal.
It stressed that naturalization is a privilege, not an authority, and that the purpose of 2025 reforms is to strengthen the integrity of the process.
The USCIS said in its federal register announcement, “Updated Civics Tests and increased eligibility reviews are to guarantee that only become fully prepared citizens to maintain American values and responsibilities.”
