(TruthAndLiberty.com) – In fiscal 2023, refugees and asylum seekers made up more than 10 percent of all new citizens.
Of the 878,500 naturalized individuals, data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), just over 100,000 were migrants, 71,100 of which were asylum seekers and 29,000 who were refugees.
Over the last decade, 2022 and 2023 accounted for 24 percent of all naturalization ceremonies, according to the data.
To be eligible for naturalization, non-citizens typically have to spend five years in the country as a lawful permanent resident (LPR) and a spouse of a U.S. citizen for three years as an LPR.
For 2023, 82.9 percent of those who were naturalized had spent five years as LPRs. the remaining were spouses of citizens and had spent the allotted three years in the country to be eligible. However, the data showed that the median time most new citizens spent as LPRs was seven years.
The median years are calculated based on the date USCIS approves an applicant’s adjustment of statement application or when they first arrive in the country, and the date they take the Oath of Allegiance, the last step to becoming a U.S. citizen.
The largest class of naturalized citizens were immediate relatives, who made up 291,100 of all naturalized citizens and included spouses (188,200), parents (64,800), and children (38,100).
The data also revealed 169,200 naturalizations were made by “family preference,” where a visa is awarded to a more distant relative. The remaining figure, about 123,000, accounted for those naturalized based on employment preferences.
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