US Citizenship Backlogs More than Double Between 2015 and 2020

1.6 minute read

"According to a Government Accountability Office report, the backlog of eligible citizenship applications has more than doubled between 2015 and 2020. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for processing and approving immigration applications for US Work Visas, Permanent Residence (Green Cards), US Citizenship, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) requests, and more."

Written by My Visa Source Team
Published on: Nov 11, 2021

According to a Government Accountability Office report, the backlog of eligible citizenship applications has more than doubled between 2015 and 2020. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for processing and approving immigration applications for US Work Visas, Permanent Residence (Green Cards), US Citizenship, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) requests, and more.

What Is the Current Backlog of US Citizenship Applications?

The overall USCIS backlog from the 2015 fiscal year to 2020 increased by 85%, according to the report. This means that permanent residents who have been living in the country for many years are still waiting for the USCIS to process their citizenship applications. The waiting period has increased from the average processing time for naturalization applications. Between October 2020 and September 2021, the average processing time for citizenship applications was 11.5 months, according to the USCIS historical processing times table.

However, the backlog of naturalization applications reached an all-time high in March with more than 950,000 applications pending across the country. According to the latest data, this number has dropped slightly to 907,000 in June. This backlog is also affecting other immigration visa applications.

How Were the Other US Visa Categories Affected?

The DACA program offering an immigration pathway to children of undocumented immigrants was also affected. In 2017, the Trump administration announced that they were planning to phase out the DACA program. This resulted in many eligible applicants being barred from applying for the program for the first time.

After a US Court finally ruled out the Trump Administration’s plan to close the program, the USCIS finally decided to accept new applications for the DACA program in December 2020. This protected thousands of immigrants who were facing the risk of deportation and allowed them to apply for a renewable work permit.

This window of application was closed again in July 2021 when a Texas court ruled that the DACA program was unlawful. This decision added more uncertainty to the constant rollercoaster of lawsuits and reauthorizations.

In September 2021, the Biden Administration proposed another rule change to keep the DACA program intact. Currently, only those with valid DACA status can renew their work permits and get temporary protection from deportation. The DACA backlog for the first time stood at 82,621 applications at the end of the 2021 Fiscal year. There were another 84,413 pending applications from those hoping to renew their work permits as of June 30.