More than 65,000 Indians took American citizenship in 2022

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 23-04-2024

More than 65,000 Indians took American citizenship in 2022

Report 4 min read

According to a recent report released by the US Congress, 65,960 Indians were expected to officially become US citizens in 2022. Whereas Mexicans are at the top among those getting US citizenship in 2022.

India ranks second in obtaining US citizenship:

The trend of Indians obtaining American citizenship is steadily rising. Indians are second in getting American citizenship. Whereas Mexico is at the top in this order. Mexicans will be the first people to get US citizenship in 2022.

America's population was 33 crore in 2022:

According to American Community Survey data, the population of America in 2022 was 33 crores. Of these, 4 crore people were from outside America which is 14% of the total population.
The people who got US citizenship in 2022 mostly were from Mexico, India, Philippines, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Vietnam and China. This can be seen in the following table:
Number of people from other countries getting US citizenship in 2022:

Country	Number of people who became American citizens
Mexico	1,28,878
India	65,960
Philippines	53,413
Cuba	46,913
Dominican Republic	34,525
Vietnam	33,246
China	27,038

49 lakh Americans have their roots in India:

According to the Congressional Research Service (CRC) report, the largest number of US citizens born in other countries in 2023 were from Mexico, at 16 million. After this there were 28 lakh people coming from India. At number three were 22 lakh Chinese citizens who were born in China but became American citizens.
Currently, there are 49 lakh people in America who are Indians or have roots from India.

Highlights of a report released by the US Congress:

However, CRC has reported that about 42% of Indian-born citizens living in the US cannot yet become US citizens because they are ineligible for it. By 2023, about 2 lakh Indian-born foreign nationals, who were on Green Card or Legal Permanent Residency (LPR), can now apply for citizenship.
The CRC has expressed concern over the increasing number of people applying for US citizenship in recent years. The process of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCES), which grants citizenship in America, is getting delayed.
In 2023, USCIS had 4 lakh applications pending for granting citizenship. Which used to be 5 lakh in 2022, 8 lakh in 2021 and 9 lakh in 2020.
According to another report, by 2023, 28 lakh foreign-born American citizens were from India.
In America, 8 lakh applications for citizenship in 2023 were in process. While 90 lakh people are eligible to acquire citizenship.
Among the foreign citizens born in America, the number of citizens of Vietnam, Philippines, Russia, Jamaica and Pakistan is high. While citizens of Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico, El Salvador and Brazil have fewer.
To get citizenship in America, one has to fulfill the eligibility requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). In all these it is necessary to be a legal permanent resident i.e. LPR for at least 5 years.