The federal government is processing U.S. citizenship applications at its fastest pace in decades, with thousands of immigrants becoming newly minted citizens every week, possibly helping sway the result of November’s election.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USIS) is taking an average of 4.9 months to process naturalization applications in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, a pace not seen since 2013 and 2014, according to a report from the New York Times.
The under five-month average processing time is a far cry from that pace set just three years ago, when it took roughly 11.5 months for authorities to process a naturalization application.
President Biden listens as new citizens take the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony in the East Room of the White House on July 2, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Overall, 3.3 million immigrants have become naturalized citizens since President Biden took office, in part thanks to the administration shortening the naturalization application to 14 pages instead of the previous 20. The administration also raised the fee to apply in April to $710, up from the previous $640, but made it easier for low-income applicants to qualify for a discount.
Green card holders, known as lawful permanent residents, become eligible for American citizenship after five years of holding legal status. Others can become eligible quicker, such as those married to an American citizen for at least three years.
The newly minted American citizens will have rights not afforded to permanent residents, the New York Times report notes, including the right to vote in the upcoming election.
“The surge in naturalization efficiency isn’t just about clearing backlogs; it’s potentially reshaping the electorate, merely months before a pivotal election,” Xiao Wang, chief executive of Boundless, a company that offers services to immigrants seeking help with the naturalization process, told the New York Times. “Every citizenship application could be a vote that decides Senate seats or even the presidency.”
A video shows President Biden’s welcome message to new immigrants at a naturalization ceremony at Grand Teton National Park on Aug. 4, 2023, in Moose, Wyoming. (Natalie Behring/Getty Images)
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“This is a wonderful country that we want to be fully a part of,” Nishang Patel, a 28-year-old dentist and native of Kenya who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, told the New York Times. “We will contribute and vote.”
Neither the White House nor USCIS immediately responded to Fox News Digital requests for comment.
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