By Erin O’Brien, Esq., Associate Attorney
Taking the Oath of Allegiance and becoming an U.S. citizen is the finish line after navigating the long and oftentimes complex U.S. immigration system. Now more than ever, there are many reasons to become a U.S. citizen. There are also many more reasons to work with an immigration attorney for the naturalization process, as USCIS has recently implemented changes to the adjudication process for the Application for Naturalization (N-400). This recent change serves as an important reminder that naturalization is the final step, but one that still requires the same level of diligence and expertise as the other steps in someone’s immigration process.
In August 2025, USCIS published a new policy memo titled “Restoring a Rigorous, Holistic, and Comprehensive Good Moral Character Evaluation Standard for Aliens Applying for Naturalization.” This policy memo focuses on Good Moral Character, which is a requirement to become a naturalized U.S. citizen. To USCIS, Good Moral Character is a standard of being similar to the “average citizens of the community in which the [applicant] resides.”
Prior to the August 2025 policy memo, a Naturalization applicant needed to show that the applicant has maintained good moral character during the 5 year or 3 year statutory period (dependent on how an applicant received their green card) before filing the N-400 application. Previously, the lack of negative factors and permanent bars to Good Moral Character, which include committing murder, being convicted of an aggregated felony, or being classified as a habitual drunkard, was sufficient to demonstrate that an applicant had the requisite Good Moral Character. However, USCIS new policy memo states that USCIS officers “must account for an [applicant’s] positive attributes and not simply the absence of misconduct.” The policy memo further states that officers must take a holistic approach when determining if an applicant has shown, by a standard of more likely than not, that they have good moral character to become a U.S. citizen.
To succeed with USCIS’s new adjudication policy for N-400 applications, it is now important to submit evidence that demonstrates an applicant’s good moral character. USCIS has provided a framework for important positive factors to demonstrate good moral character, including:
- Community service and community involvement
- Family caregiving and ties to the United States
- Educational degrees and certificates
- Stable and lawful employment history
- Length of residence in the United States
- Compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility
- Rehabilitation and reformation from prior wrongdoings
This new USCIS policy for a naturalization applicant to affirmatively demonstrate their good moral character has made the case preparation process more time and document intensive. It has also made the attorney’s role in preparing the application and supporting documents more important. Not all naturalization applicants will have easily-accessible documents to satisfy each positive factor of good moral character outlined by USCIS. For that reason, Global Immigration Legal Team’s Family Practice has developed a comprehensive framework to demonstrate our naturalization clients’ good moral character. Each naturalization client has unique circumstances and our attorneys will help identify all relevant experiences and evidence to support a positive finding of their good moral character.
Global Immigration Legal Team is ready to help you successfully meet USCIS’s good moral character standard and become a U.S. citizen. If you are eligible, or soon will be eligible, to apply for Naturalization, please contact Erin or call our office at (610) 975-4599 to schedule a consultation today.
Be sure to mention this article when reaching out for your consultation.
Reviewed by Taylor S. Adams, Esq., Associate Attorney