This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh is an active member.
USCIS has announced the first changes in a planned multi-step overhaul of the naturalization process, reintroducing a revised civics test that will apply to applicants filing on or after October 20, 2025. Known as the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test, the update is a modified version of the 2020 test, which briefly replaced the long-standing 2008 version before being rolled back.
The new test expands the civics question bank from 100 to 128 possible questions. Applicants will be asked up to 20 questions and must answer at least 12 correctly to pass. Unlike in 2020, examiners will stop asking questions once an applicant has either passed or failed, streamlining the process.
USCIS has emphasized that the update is intended to provide a more comprehensive assessment of applicants’ knowledge of U.S. history and government, while also claiming that the process is uniform and fair. Updated study materials are now available on the USCIS website, and the agency will temporarily keep 2008 test resources online for those who filed before the transition.
This marks the first step in what the agency has described as a broader effort to “strengthen assimilation, promote a unified American identity, and safeguard the responsibilities of citizenship.” Future changes to the naturalization process are expected to follow.
