In August 2025 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made several policy announcements related to good moral character and “anti-American” activities that may impact applicants seeking naturalization (citizenship) and/or other immigration benefits.
On August 15, 2025, USCIS announced a comprehensive, totality of the circumstances approach for assessing good moral character (GMC) for naturalization applicants (Form N-400). Specifically, rather than simply relying on the absence of criminal offense or misconduct during the three- or five-year GMC period, USCIS officers must now weigh the applicant’s positive attributes, such as but not limited to:
Sustained community involvement and contributions in the U.S.
Family caregiving, responsibility, and ties in the U.S.
Educational attainment
Stable and lawful employment history and achievements
Length of lawful residence in the U.S.
Compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility in the U.S.
In evaluating the disqualifying factors, USCIS will now apply greater scrutiny and review all available documentation to determine eligibility for naturalization.
With the new holistic approach, USCIS will also review whether applicants, who have previously engaged in wrongdoing have properly rehabilitated based on evidence including:
Rectifying overdue child support payments or other family obligations
Compliance with probation or other conditions imposed by a court
Community testimony from credible sources attesting to applicant’s ongoing good moral character
Reformation or mentoring those with similar past
Full repayment of overpayment of benefits such as SSI
Full payment of overdue taxes
In an effort to implement this higher scrutiny on GMC evaluation, USCIS announced on August 22, 2025 that for the first time since 1991, it is resuming personal investigations (also known as “neighborhood investigations”) for naturalization applicants to apply “scrutiny over an alien’s residency, good moral character, attachment to the U.S. Constitution, and disposition to the good order and happiness of the United States” as set forth in the naturalization requirements in the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA).
If a neighborhood investigation is required, USCIS may not only send officers (FN 1) or contactors to interview neighbors, employers, co-workers, business associates, etc., but it may also request N-400 applicants to submit testimonial letters from the same. The guidance states that proactively submitting such evidence with the N-400 application filing may help USCIS determine whether a personal investigation should be waived, thereby avoiding a Request for Evidence.
Potentially related to the increased scrutiny on “good moral character,” on August 19, 2025, USCIS announced that officers may consider applicants’ involvement in “anti-American activities” when adjudicating the following immigration benefit requests that involve discretionary decisions.
Under existing law, “anti-American” activities related to support of the Communist party, advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government by violence or force, etc. (FN 2) The updated USCIS policy seems to expand the statutory guidance to direct adjudicators to review whether applicants have “endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused the views of an anti-American or terrorist organization or group, including those who support or promote antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations, and antisemitic ideologies.” In cases where applicants have engaged in such activities, USCIS adjudicators are directed that they may exercise their discretion to deny the benefit requested.
Applications types that involve discretion and may be subject to this policy include::
Naturalization;
Adjustment of Status (I-485) applications;
EB-2 I-140 National Interest Waiver petitions;
EB-5 investor petitions and applications;
Requests for extension of stay, change of status, reinstatement of F or M nonimmigrant status; and
Certain employment authorization requests filed under 8 CFR 274a.12(C).
Footnote 1: In September 2025, USCIS expanded its law enforcement authorities by adding special agents authorized to make arrests and carry firearms. It is not yet known whether these special agents will conduct the neighborhood checks mentioned here. See: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/uscis-to-add-special-agents-with-new-law-enforcement-authorities
Footnote 2: See INA 313(a) for definitions of anti-American activities: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1424&num=0&edition=prelim
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