Shuyuan Tian, Esq.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to revert to administering the 2008 civics test to naturalization applicants, beginning March 1, 2021.

Pursuant to the new policy, anyone who filed for naturalization before December 1, 2020, or on or after March 1, 2021, will take the 2008 civics test.  Applicants who filed the application on or after December 1, 2020 and before March 1, 2021, may have the choice to either take the 2008 civics test or the 2020 civics test.  All applicants whose interview is scheduled to occur on or after April 19, 2021 (regardless of filing date) will take the 2008 civics test.

 Background:

In general, a naturalization applicant must demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, the principles, and the form of government of the United States (civics). To sufficiently demonstrate knowledge of civics, an applicant for naturalization must pass a civics test by answering a certain number of questions correctly. On December 1, 2020, USCIS implemented 2020 civics test which not only changed the test content but increased the number of questions for applicants to study from 100 possible questions to 128 possible questions. It also updated the number of questions applicants must answer correctly to pass from 6 out of 10 to 12 out of 20 questions. USCIS received approximately 2,500 comments from the public regarding the 2020 civics test and the policy. Multiple commenters noted that there was little advance notice before implementation of the 2020 civics test, which raised concerns about limited time for study and preparation of training materials and resources.

Please see the USCIS Policy Alert at https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20210222-CivicsTest.pdf

If you have any questions regarding naturalization application and the civic test, please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.