Strengthening Citizenship Services for Veterans Act

Legislation Details

Requires U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to facilitate naturalization services for noncitizen veterans who have been removed from the U.S. or are inadmissible.
Defines key terms including “eligible veteran,” “naturalization examination,” “biometric collection,” and “oath of allegiance.”
Mandates that naturalization examinations for eligible veterans be conducted at accessible U.S. ports of entry or at U.S. embassies/consulates in their residing countries.
Ensures biometric collection is available for eligible veterans at the same locations as naturalization examinations.
Requires the oath of allegiance for eligible veterans to be conducted at accessible U.S. ports of entry or at U.S. embassies/consulates.
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to jointly issue guidance on conducting naturalization processes for eligible veterans.
Requires a report on the implementation and effectiveness of the Act to be submitted to relevant Senate and House committees within 180 days of enactment.
Mandates an update to the guidance based on the report’s findings within 90 days of submission.
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to promulgate regulations to implement the Act within 90 days of enactment.
The Act takes effect 90 days after enactment and applies to all eligible veterans with pending or new naturalization applications, regardless of discharge or exit date from military service.