New Delhi: The United States of America is home to the largest Indian diaspora in the world, with nearly 4.9 million people of Indian origin living there as of 2020⁵. Many Indians go to the US for business, education, or other opportunities, and some of them choose to settle there permanently by acquiring US citizenship. A recent report by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has revealed that Indians were the second largest group to get naturalized in the fiscal year 2023, after Mexicans.
According to the report, 59,100 Indians became US citizens in 2023, accounting for 6.7% of the total 8.7 lakh foreign nationals who took the oath of allegiance to the US. This was a slight increase from the previous year, when 58,915 Indians got naturalized, making up 6.5% of the total 9.1 lakh new citizens. The report also showed that Mexicans were the largest group to get naturalized in 2023, with 1.1 lakh people, or 12.7% of the total. Other countries that had significant numbers of naturalized citizens in 2023 were the Philippines (44,800), the Dominican Republic (35,200), China (30,600), and Cuba (25,000).
The report also provided some demographic and geographic information about the new US citizens. It said that 53.4% of them were female and 46.6% were male and that the median age was 38 years. The report also said that 67.3% of them were married and that 83.8% of them had at least a high school education. The report also said that the top five states where the new citizens resided were California (20.8%), Florida (11.4%), Texas (9.7%), New York (8.6%), and New Jersey (5.1%).
The report also highlighted the benefits and responsibilities of US citizenship, such as voting rights, eligibility for federal jobs, protection from deportation, and the ability to sponsor family members for immigration. The report also explained the eligibility criteria and the process of naturalization, which involves applying, taking a test on English and civics, and attending an interview and an oath ceremony.
To be eligible for naturalization, one must be a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the US for at least five years, or three years if married to a US citizen. One must also be at least 18 years old, have good moral character, have basic knowledge of English and US history and government, and be willing to support the US Constitution and the principles of democracy. An LPR is someone who has a green card, which is a document that grants the right to live and work in the US permanently. The green card can be obtained through various ways, such as family sponsorship, employment sponsorship, diversity lottery, refugee or asylum status, or special programs.
