U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will naturalize 3,900 veterans, current military members and their spouses in 50 Oath of Allegiance ceremonies on Friday in honor of Veterans Day.
Military members are eligible for expedited naturalization, and typically can apply for U.S. citizenship after one year of service. They also aren’t required to pay any application fees.
“USCIS is grateful to all members of the U.S. military, veterans, and their families who have put their faith and trust in America,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “We are honored to have a role in supporting non-citizen service members on their citizenship journey, so they can become citizens of the country they have already sworn to protect.”
In FY 2021, USCIS naturalized 8,800 service members, a 90% increase from FY 2020, according to government data.
Since 2017, the top five countries of birth of naturalized military members were the Philippines, Mexico, China, Jamaica, and South Korea. Men made up 76% of those naturalized and women 24%.
For more info, Boundless has put together a guide on how to naturalize as a veteran or service member, or check out our helpful resources for navigating the U.S. immigration system as a military member.