USCIS tightens the good moral character test for citizenship applicants

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a memorandum expanding the factors its officers may weigh when deciding whether a citizenship applicant has shown “good moral character,” a legal requirement for naturalization.

Policy Memorandum PM-602-0201, dated November 4, 2026, says an officer may find that an applicant lacks good moral character if the person willfully failed to support dependents, committed fraud or deception to obtain or use public benefits, or failed to meet obligations under an affidavit of support (Form I-864) or a declaration of financial support (Forms I-134 or I-134A) while they were in effect.

The guidance also lets officers weigh whether a person receives income-based public benefits in order to avoid self-sufficiency — for example, by stopping work or cutting hours to stay under a food or housing subsidy limit without a personal or medical reason.

USCIS stresses, however, that lawfully receiving public benefits is not by itself a bar to naturalization, nor always a negative factor. Each case must be judged individually, and an adverse finding cannot rest on poverty, disability or the lawful receipt of benefits, but on specific conduct.

The good moral character requirement generally covers the five years before an application is filed — three years for certain spouses of U.S. citizens — and continues until the oath of allegiance. USCIS said it will publish new guidance in its Policy Manual and revise Form N-400 to collect more information about benefit use and support of dependents.

The memo follows an August 2025 review that ordered officers to judge good moral character holistically, and comes weeks after USCIS broadened the public charge standard for people applying for permanent residence.

Photo: TR Immigration

Source: USCIS