The naturalisation upswing comes close on the heels of the reported 8.3 lakh growth in the number of Indian immigrants entering the US over the past seven years.
New Delhi: 10% growth witnessed as country with a total of 50,802 Indians, who have turned US citizens in 2017, just second to Mexico, which saw a 14% growth in the same year.
Even though there was a decline of 6% in the previous year, over 4,500 more Indians were sworn in as US citizens. According to a report in The Times of India, the largest numeric increase in naturalisation occurred among immigrants born in Mexico (an increase of 15,009, or 14%), India (4,614, 10%) and China (1,880, 5%), based on a data released recently by the US Department of homeland security and stated that immigration experts say those aspiring to become US citizens are now finding it tougher.
According to the New York Times, US President Donald Trump plans to put a cap to the number of refugees resettled in the United States next year at 30,000. The figure represents the lowest ceiling a president has placed on the refugee program since its creation in 1980, and a reduction of a third from the 45,000-person limit that Trump set for 2018.
Despite that, the naturalisation upswing comes close on the heels of the reported 8.3 lakh growth in the number of Indian immigrants entering the US over the past seven years. The TOI report stated that seven lakh individuals were conferred citizenship by the US government in 2017, of which 7% were Indians. As compared to the previous year, 4,600 more Indians were conferred US citizenship during 2017.
A foreign national can acquire US citizenship if he/she met essential requirements. Post this, they obtain the right to vote.
Usually, only green cardholders can opt for this process. Green card provides the green signal to live and work long-term in the US. The change in visa policies, focus on more employment for citizens are forcing many green card-holders to opt for US citizenship, TOI quoted immigration experts as saying.
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