USCIS Expands “Good Moral Character” Standards for Naturalization

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has always assessed an applicant’s “good moral character” in adjudicating citizenship requests. That assessment has generally involved a review of whether an applicant has committed certain crimes, including “aggravated felonies,” and disqualifying misconduct. In the absence of such offenses, applicants have generally been judged to possess “good moral character.”

The USCIS August 2025 policy memorandum on naturalization applications changes that approach. Citizenship applicants will not be considered to possess “good moral character” simply by pointing to a clean criminal record.  They must now demonstrate positive factors, such as community involvement, family caregiving, educational attainment, stable and lawful employment history, length of lawful residency in the US and compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility.

Jackson Lewis:
USCIS Updates Policy on Assessing Good Moral Character in Adjudication of Naturalization Applications