US Citizenship Test to Become Harder, Says USCIS Director

The director said that the new process may involve a standardized test and essay-like responses to test applicants’ knowledge and English language skills.

A Colombian immigrant studies ahead of her citizenship exam at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Queens office in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City on May 30, 2013. The branch office is located in an area heavily populated by immigrants and processes thousands of Green Card and U.S. citizenship applications each year. John Moore/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, on Sept. 4, announced that his agency would be increasing the difficulty of the current test for immigrants to be naturalized as citizens of the United States.

Director Joseph B. Edlow made the announcement at an event hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that seeks to lower the admissions of immigrants to the United States. He said that the current test—which requires applicants to demonstrate the ability to read and write in English, as well as correctly answer six out of 10 questions related to the government, history, and civics—would be replaced by a new test that involves more components, including essay responses.