You (or your students) may have seen some news stories based on interviews with the new USICS Director Joseph Edlow. He has announced the agency’s intention to make the naturalization examination more difficult, and add a component to the English-language test, in which applicants would be asked to describe what they see in a picture.
We have been hearing that changes like these are likely to happen in the near future, but please keep in mind that at this point, there is no concrete proposal to change the exam, and there is no timeline as to when that proposal will be issued, or when it might take effect. Right now, the exam remains the same.
In normal times, when a new test is proposed, it first goes through a comment period that takes several months. Then it is implemented (normally) with a grace period of several months (where applicants can choose whether to take the new test or the former version of the test). If the administration decides to implement a test that is seen as unfairly impacting certain segments of the immigrant population, you can be sure there will be legal challenges, and this may delay (or even halt) the implementation of a new test.
The bottom line is that there is no new test to prepare for at this point, and the only rational way for students and teachers to proceed right now is to continue studying for the current test. When there is some solid information about a new test and an actual implementation date, you can be sure that I will share it here on CitizenshipNews.
Posted: to Citizenship News on Thu, Jul 31, 2025
Updated: Thu, Jul 31, 2025