According to recent data from the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Service (USCIS), naturalization applications are currently being processed faster than they have been in years.
For fiscal year 2024, USCIS reported that the N-400 application for naturalization, also known as the application for U.S. citizenship, was processed in about five months. Previously, processing times for such applications had been increasing since at least 2016, reaching a high of 11.5 months in 2021.
Susana Luna, who has lived most of her life in Colorado, became a U.S. citizen just last month.
“It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from me, you know?” she said.
Luna spent several years preparing for citizenship. She obtained legal permanent residency and had to prove good moral character.
When it came time to file her naturalization application N-400, she expected a long wait before she could take her oath of allegiance. To her surprise, that day came sooner than she thought.
“I’d say it was about four months,” Luna said. “So yeah, it’s definitely a lot faster than I thought.”
Arturo Jimenez, an immigration attorney and professor of Chicano studies at MSU Denver, helped Luna through the immigration process.
“In the second half of last year, it took three to five months to process applications,” he said. “Before, it took eight to nine months or more.”
In 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to “significantly reduce current processing times for naturalization.”
“When a Democratic president is in office, they seem to move things forward faster than Republican presidents,” Jimenez said.
Since then, USCIS data shows that processing times for the N-400 naturalization application have trended downward.
Luna said she looks forward to exercising her new right to vote in November. Immigration and the high cost of goods are two issues that are close to her heart.
“I want to vote,” she said. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a tough election.”
Ultimately, the rights that come with American citizenship give Luna a sense of stability. Now that her stay in the U.S. is more protected, she wants to focus more on taking care of other areas of her life.
“Now that I’m a citizen, I definitely want to consider going back to school,” she said. “It feels good to be able to say I’m an American.”
Coloradans make a difference | Denver7 recommended videos
At Denver7, we strive to make a difference in our community. We stand up for what’s right by listening, helping, and keeping promises. See this work in action in the featured videos in the playlist above.
