USCIS tightens focus on ‘good moral character' for citizenship applicants: Here's what it means
As per the USCIS, 'good moral character' is one of the requirements for naturalization.
'An applicant for naturalization must show that he or she has been, and continues to be, a person of good moral character. In general, the applicant must show GMC during the five-year period immediately preceding his or her application for naturalization and up to the time of the Oath of Allegiance. Conduct prior to the five-year period may also impact whether the applicant meets the requirement,' the USCIS announcement reads.
What are the changes USCIS has made to GMC rules
The USCIS put out a policy memorandum on August 15, detailing changes in how 'good moral character' will be evaluated.
Titled Restoring a Rigorous, Holistic, and Comprehensive Good Moral Character Evaluation Standard for Aliens Applying for Naturalization, it seeks to change how USCIS officials treat GMC. Now, it won't just be a checklist of disqualifying offenses. Rather, it will be a 'totality of circumstances', which includes negative conduct and positive contributions.
'Going forward, USCIS officers must account for an alien's positive attributes and not simply the absence of misconduct,' the memo reads. 'In evaluating whether or not an alien has met the requirement of establishing GMC the Officer must take a holistic approach in evaluating whether or not an alien seeking naturalization has affirmatively established that he or she has met their burden of establishing that they are worthy of assuming the rights and responsibilities of United States Citizenship,' it continues.
USCIS officials have been directed to put greater emphasis on an alien's positive attributes and contributions to determine GMC. These include, but aren't limited to – Sustained community involvement and contributions in the United States, educational attainment, family caregiving, responsibility, and ties in the US, stable and lawful employment history and achievements, compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility there, and length of lawful residence in the United States.
Meanwhile, officials have also been asked to place greater attention on if an alien has 'engaged in any behavior or act that disqualifies the alien from being found to be a person of good moral character'. Among these are permanent bars to GMC, like murder, aggravated felony, genocide. There can also be conditional bars to GMC like controlled substances violations and fals claims to US citizenship, among others.
The memo also said USCIS will focus more on ensuring that aliens who engaged in wrongdoing are properly rehabilitated and reformed. 'Consistent with the totality of circumstances approach, evidence of genuine rehabilitation may support a finding of GMC,' it reads.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also gave an example on X.
"Everyone who applies for naturalization must truthfully answer a series of questions to show that they have the good moral character required to become a U.S. citizen. One of the questions is, 'Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?', the agency wrote.
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USCIS tightens focus on ‘good moral character' for citizenship applicants: Here's what it means
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is bringing a major policy shift that lays focus on holistic and rigorous approaches when evaluating the 'good moral character' (GMC) of foreigners applying for citizenship there. Titled Restoring a Rigorous, Holistic, and Comprehensive Good Moral Character Evaluation Standard for Aliens Applying for Naturalization, the memo seeks to change how USCIS officials treat GMC. Image for representation(Unsplash) As per the USCIS, 'good moral character' is one of the requirements for naturalization. 'An applicant for naturalization must show that he or she has been, and continues to be, a person of good moral character. In general, the applicant must show GMC during the five-year period immediately preceding his or her application for naturalization and up to the time of the Oath of Allegiance. Conduct prior to the five-year period may also impact whether the applicant meets the requirement,' the USCIS announcement reads. What are the changes USCIS has made to GMC rules The USCIS put out a policy memorandum on August 15, detailing changes in how 'good moral character' will be evaluated. Titled Restoring a Rigorous, Holistic, and Comprehensive Good Moral Character Evaluation Standard for Aliens Applying for Naturalization, it seeks to change how USCIS officials treat GMC. Now, it won't just be a checklist of disqualifying offenses. Rather, it will be a 'totality of circumstances', which includes negative conduct and positive contributions. 'Going forward, USCIS officers must account for an alien's positive attributes and not simply the absence of misconduct,' the memo reads. 'In evaluating whether or not an alien has met the requirement of establishing GMC the Officer must take a holistic approach in evaluating whether or not an alien seeking naturalization has affirmatively established that he or she has met their burden of establishing that they are worthy of assuming the rights and responsibilities of United States Citizenship,' it continues. USCIS officials have been directed to put greater emphasis on an alien's positive attributes and contributions to determine GMC. These include, but aren't limited to – Sustained community involvement and contributions in the United States, educational attainment, family caregiving, responsibility, and ties in the US, stable and lawful employment history and achievements, compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility there, and length of lawful residence in the United States. Meanwhile, officials have also been asked to place greater attention on if an alien has 'engaged in any behavior or act that disqualifies the alien from being found to be a person of good moral character'. Among these are permanent bars to GMC, like murder, aggravated felony, genocide. There can also be conditional bars to GMC like controlled substances violations and fals claims to US citizenship, among others. The memo also said USCIS will focus more on ensuring that aliens who engaged in wrongdoing are properly rehabilitated and reformed. 'Consistent with the totality of circumstances approach, evidence of genuine rehabilitation may support a finding of GMC,' it reads. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also gave an example on X. "Everyone who applies for naturalization must truthfully answer a series of questions to show that they have the good moral character required to become a U.S. citizen. One of the questions is, 'Have you ever committed a crime or offense for which you were not arrested?', the agency wrote.
