Sponsor
Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen
Representative · R-AS
Representative · R-AS
The bill makes it substantially easier and cheaper for nationals living in outlying possessions and servicemembers to acquire citizenship locally, while increasing DHS discretion and administrative demands that could create fairness, consistency, and resource challenges.
Residents of U.S. outlying possessions, long‑term U.S. nationals, and servicemembers can become U.S. citizens more quickly and with less disruption because they can naturalize without relocating to a State, may avoid the English test requirement in some cases, and can complete processes locally.
Eligible applicants (including military personnel and low‑income applicants) face lower financial and logistical barriers because the Secretary may reduce application fees and waive personal interviews.
Residents of outlying possessions can complete naturalization applications, interviews, oaths, and ceremonies locally, cutting travel time and cost and improving access to services.
Immigration applicants outside outlying possessions may view eased requirements as reducing uniform naturalization standards, creating perceptions of unfairness between applicants.
Expanding eligibility and providing fee reductions or local processing could increase DHS administrative workload and require additional resources, potentially slowing processing or shifting costs to taxpayers or local governments.
Concentrating discretionary authority at DHS to waive interviews or fees risks inconsistent application of benefits across applicants and locations, leading to unequal treatment.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds an alternative naturalization route for nationals continuously resident in a State or outlying possession and permits child acquisition of citizenship while residing in an outlying possession.
Creates an alternate, expedited path to U.S. naturalization for persons who are U.S. nationals (including those born in outlying possessions) who have lived continuously in any State or outlying possession from birth until naturalization approval, and lets qualifying children of U.S. citizens acquire citizenship while residing in an outlying possession. It waives certain testing, interview, residence, and fee requirements at the agency's discretion and permits naturalization processing (applications, interviews, oaths) to occur in outlying possessions. The changes are intended to speed citizenship for nationals — including servicemembers stationed in outlying possessions — without requiring relocation, additional English/civics testing, or standard fees in some cases, while preserving discretion for interview waivers and continuity-of-residence rules.
Official title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to waive certain naturalization requirements for United States nationals, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 15, 2025 by Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen · Last progress January 15, 2025