US Citizenship Backlog Tops 8.13 Lakh As Indian Green Card Holders Face Longer Waits

Indian green card holders seeking US citizenship are facing mounting delays, with the backlog of pending naturalisation applications crossing 813,000 in August as monthly approvals continued to decline, according to official data reported by IANS.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved 15,349 naturalisation applications in August, down from 16,514 in July and 18,439 in June, the agency’s monthly reports show.

At the same time, the number of pending applications rose from 744,412 in June to 778,489 in July and 813,453 in August, pointing to a widening gap between applications awaiting decisions and those being approved.

The slowdown is significant for Indians in the US, who account for one of the largest groups of new American citizens. India was the second-largest country of birth among people naturalised in fiscal year 2024, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics.

More Than 5.13 Lakh Applications Pending For Over Six Months

The USCIS data showed that 513,462 naturalisation applications had been pending for more than six months as of August. The average processing time stood at 12.7 months.

The agency received 54,492 new applications in August, more than three times the 15,349 applications it approved during the month.

The figures indicate that the volume of new applications substantially exceeded the number of approvals, adding to the existing backlog.

USCIS did not provide a reason for the decline in monthly approvals in its reports.

Indians Among Largest Groups Becoming US Citizens

Around 49,700 people born in India became US citizens in fiscal year 2024, accounting for 6.1% of all naturalisations that year, according to the DHS annual flow report.

The slowdown has drawn attention from Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat representing Washington state.

Citing data compiled by David Bier of the Cato Institute, Jayapal alleged on X that the administration was “blocking off people who… are green card holders… waiting for their citizenship approval”.

Jayapal, who was born in Chennai and later became a naturalised US citizen, is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement.

Immigration Restrictions Add To Concerns

The decline in naturalisation approvals comes amid broader changes to legal immigration under the Trump administration. These include the suspension of the PERM labour certification process used in employment-based green card applications, a move that has raised concerns among Indian professionals.

However, USCIS has not linked the naturalisation slowdown directly to these wider immigration measures.

Lawful permanent residents are generally eligible to apply for US citizenship after five years of residence, or after three years if they are married to a US citizen and meet the applicable requirements. Applicants must also complete an interview and pass English and civics tests, subject to relevant exemptions.

For many Indians, obtaining citizenship is the final stage of a lengthy immigration process. Some have waited years or even decades for employment-based green cards because of per-country limits.

Citizenship provides greater certainty over international travel, allows eligible citizens to vote in federal elections and makes it possible to sponsor certain relatives under US immigration law.

Delays Could Affect Midterm Election Voting

The longer processing times could also affect green card holders hoping to become citizens before the November midterm elections.

Permanent residents cannot vote in federal elections. Those awaiting naturalisation may therefore miss the opportunity to vote if their applications are not approved in time and they do not complete the remaining steps required for citizenship.

Immigration lawyers have advised applicants to submit complete applications and keep their residential addresses updated with USCIS to reduce the risk of avoidable delays.

With the pending caseload continuing to rise, Indian green card holders seeking citizenship face uncertainty over when their applications will be decided.