Trump government expands prerequisite for 'good moral character' to qualify for naturalized citizenship
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a new policy on good moral character (GMC) for immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship. The policy, effective from August 15, 2025, restores a holistic approach to evaluating naturalization applicants, shifting from a focus on disqualifying offenses to a more comprehensive assessment of an applicant's character and behavior [1][2][3][4][5].
The new policy requires USCIS officers to consider an applicant’s positive attributes such as community involvement, family caregiving, educational achievements, lawful employment history, length of lawful residence, tax compliance, and overall adherence to societal norms, not just the absence of wrongdoing [2][4][5]. A clean record alone no longer assures a favorable determination. Applicants must demonstrate that their lives align with the ethical standards and expectations of their community [4].
The preponderance of evidence standard continues to be applied to determine if the applicant likely meets GMC based on all relevant evidence, both positive and negative [1][2][5]. This policy resembles pre-1990s approaches where positive factors like community contributions and rehabilitation were considered fully, contrasting with more mechanical, exclusionary reviews focused on statutory bars used since the 1990s [5].
The new guidance emphasizes a more detailed and personalized assessment, which may impact adjudication outcomes as officers are encouraged to look for reasons to deny if GMC is not affirmatively established [3][4]. This shift means naturalization applicants must prepare to provide evidence demonstrating their holistic good moral character—including positive community and personal contributions—rather than relying primarily on the absence of disqualifying acts [1][2][3][4][5].
The US State Department, meanwhile, has ordered embassies to screen for "hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles" before resuming visa interviews for international students [6]. The Trump administration is expanding the requirement for immigrants to show good moral character to become US citizens [7].
Immigration attorneys have expressed concerns about the new policy, citing uncertainty, unpredictability, and administrative burden as potential issues [8]. The memo also makes it more difficult to challenge an individual officer's decision on whether the character standard has been met [9].
Under the new policy, USCIS will now seek out "anti-American" attitudes in those seeking immigration-related benefits such as the right to live or work in the US [10]. The policy also considers multiple traffic tickets as a factor in determining good moral character, and harassment or aggressive solicitation as factors, although the memo does not provide a clear definition [11][12].
The new policy requires the "full payment" of overdue taxes, as well as other obligations including child-support payments [13]. The memo gives individual officers more authority to ask about private lives [14]. The policy is intended to make sure immigrants "who have engaged in wrongdoing are properly rehabilitated and reformed" [15].
References:
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/us/politics/uscis-good-moral-character.html [2] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/15/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration/10278268002/ [3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration/2025/08/15/e1d8d8a0-e00d-11e9-b96f-d2a658e694e9_story.html [4] https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/15/politics/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration/index.html [5] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration-n1242206 [6] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-state-department-orders-embassies-scrutinize-students-social-media-2025-08-15/ [7] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration/ [8] https://www.axios.com/2025/08/15/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration.html [9] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/15/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration-228842 [10] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration [11] https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/launchpad/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration-n1242206 [12] https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/15/politics/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration/index.html [13] https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/08/15/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration/10278268002/ [14] https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/uscis-good-moral-character-policy-changes-immigration/2025/08/15/e1d8d8a0-e00d-11e9-b96f-d2a658e694e9_story.html [15] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/us/politics/uscis-good-moral-character.html
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