Washington, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian green-card holders seeking US citizenship are facing longer waits as naturalisation approvals decline and the backlog of pending applications exceeds 813,000, according to official data.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved 15,349 naturalisation applications in August, down from 16,514 in July and 18,439 in June, agency figures show.
Meanwhile, pending applications increased from 744,412 in June to 778,489 in July and 813,453 in August. Of the August backlog, 513,462 applications had been pending for more than six months, while the average processing time stood at 12.7 months.
USCIS received 54,492 new applications in August, more than three times the number approved during the month. The agency’s monthly data did not specify a reason for the decline in approvals.
The slowdown has implications for Indian applicants, who represent a significant share of new American citizens. India ranked second among countries of birth for people naturalised in fiscal year 2024, with approximately 49,700 Indian-born individuals receiving citizenship, accounting for 6.1 per cent of the total, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics.
Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has also raised concerns about the delays. Citing data compiled by David Bier of the Cato Institute, she accused the administration on X of “blocking off people who… are green card holders… waiting for their citizenship approval.”
Jayapal, who was born in Chennai and is a naturalised US citizen, is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement.
The slowdown comes amid tighter restrictions affecting several legal immigration channels under the Trump administration, including a suspension of the PERM labour certification process used in employment-based green-card applications.
Lawful permanent residents can generally apply for citizenship after five years, or three years if married to a US citizen, subject to eligibility requirements that include English and civics tests and an interview.
For Indian professionals who have waited years for employment-based green cards because of per-country limits, naturalisation offers greater certainty over travel, family sponsorship and voting rights. Delays can also prevent eligible applicants from becoming citizens in time to vote in upcoming elections.
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