Sponsors (8)
The bill creates a single, uniform naturalization testing standard (removing age-based exemptions) in exchange for making citizenship harder to attain for older long-term residents and imposing added administrative burdens on immigration agencies.
All naturalization applicants (immigrants seeking citizenship) will be evaluated under uniform testing standards with age-based exemptions removed, producing a single consistent standard for English and civics requirements.
Older long-term lawful permanent residents (e.g., seniors who previously qualified for age-based exemptions) will lose those exemptions and must meet English requirements, making naturalization significantly harder for seniors with limited English.
Applicants over 65 who relied on special civics considerations will now have to pass standard civics testing, increasing the risk of denials, delays, or additional appeals for elderly applicants.
USCIS and the Department of Justice will likely face added administrative workload and costs to update procedures, handle more requests for accommodations and appeals, and process increased testing-related decisions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Removes two age-and-residency exemptions so older long-term lawful permanent residents must meet standard English and civics naturalization requirements.
Eliminates long-standing age-and-residency exemptions to the English and civics testing requirements for naturalization applicants. People who previously qualified for relaxed English or civics rules because they were over certain ages with many years as lawful permanent residents would instead be required to meet the standard English and civics requirements unless another law applies. The change is achieved by removing two exceptions in the federal naturalization statute so those applicants become subject to the ordinary language and civics rules that apply to most applicants.
Official title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate certain exceptions to the naturalization requirement as to understanding the English language, history, principles, and form of government of the United States.
Introduced July 16, 2026 by Brandon Gill · Last progress July 16, 2026