US EditionTrump Admin Revives ‘Neighborhood Checks’ for Citizenship Applicants: Report
USCIS officials will conduct interviews with neighbors and coworkers to verify applicants' good moral character, a policy reinstated to prevent fraud, following a decades-old waiver removal.
- On August 22, 2025, the Trump administration issued a policy memo reinstating neighborhood investigations for applicants seeking U.S. citizenship nationwide.
- The administration restored this long-unused process, halted since 1991, to enhance statutorily required investigations under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- USCIS officers will evaluate testimonial letters from neighbors, employers, and associates to determine if neighborhood checks are warranted but may waive them in some cases.
- USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow stated that the update aims to guarantee that citizenship is granted exclusively to applicants who fully meet the necessary qualifications, and the agency is revising its policy manual to reflect this change.
- This policy change signals stricter vetting across immigration benefits, potentially raising barriers for applicants and reinforcing enforcement efforts under the current administration.
43 Articles
43 Articles
Trump administration resurrects ‘neighborhood checks’ for citizenship applicants last used in first Bush-era
Trump administration restores neighborhood investigations for citizenship applicants, such as interviews with neighbors and employers for the first time since 1991.
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‘Neighborhood Checks’ Restored for Citizenship Applicants
Neighborhood checks will once again be used for some immigrants applying for citizenship, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced, Politico reported. This is part of the Trump administration's goal of adding requirements to the legal immigration process and will bring to an end a three-decade long waiver to a requirement for such personal investigations that began to wane in the 1990s. Instead, U.S. officials have since relied on…
Trump admin revives ‘neighborhood checks’ for citizenship applicants: Report
The Trump administration is reviving a long-suspended policy of “neighborhood checks” for immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship, CBS reports. The directive was outlined in a memo obtained by the outlet. It authorizes “on-ground investigations” by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers, including questioning neighbors and colleagues of applicants. What will 'neighborhood checks' determine? The reviews aim to determine wheth…
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