Nearly 66,000 Indians Officially Became American Citizens in 2022: Report

In the most recent Congressional report, it has been revealed that 65,960 individuals from India have formally attained citizenship in the United States, positioning India as the second most significant provider of new citizens to America following Mexico. As per data from the American Community Survey by the US Census Bureau, an estimated 46 million foreign-born individuals were living in the United States in 2022, constituting roughly 14 percent of the nation's total population of 333 million.

Out of these, approximately 24.5 million, which accounts for roughly 53 percent, indicated that they had achieved naturalised citizenship status. According to the most recent "US Naturalisation Policy" report released on April 15 by the independent Congressional Research Service for the fiscal year 2022, a grand total of 969,380 individuals successfully obtained naturalised citizenship in the United States.

Individuals born in Mexico represented the largest number of naturalisations, followed by persons from India, Philippines, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, it said. Based on the latest available data, CRS said in 2022, as many as 128,878, Mexican nationals became American citizens. They were followed by Indians (65,960), the Philippines (53,413), Cuba (46,913), the Dominican Republic (34,525), Vietnam (33,246) and China (27,038).

As per the Congressional Research Service (CRS) data up to 2023, the count of foreign-born American nationals from India stood at 2,831,330, marking the second-highest figure after Mexico's 10,638,429. Following Mexico and India, China held the third position with 2,225,447 foreign-born American nationals. However, the CRS report highlighted a significant aspect: a notable 42 percent of India-born foreign nationals residing in the US are presently unable to pursue US citizenship.

As of 2023, as many as 290,000 India-born foreign nationals who were on Green Card or Legal Permanent Residency (LPR) were potentially eligible for naturalisation. CRS said in recent years, some observers have expressed concern over USCIS processing backlogs for naturalisation applications.