U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will adopt a more rigorous approach when determining whether a foreigner applying for citizenship meets the “good moral character” standard.
In a policy memo issued on Aug. 15, USCIS called for a “holistic” review of applicants’ behavior and background. Instead of focusing only on statutory disqualifications such as certain criminal convictions, the agency now asks officers to weigh both positive community contributions and conduct that may be technically lawful but socially questionable.
