USCIS Faces Record Backlog of 742,138 Citizenship Applications

USCIS Reports Significant Citizenship Application Backlog

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published its performance metrics for Form N-400, the Application for Naturalization, covering the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, which spans from April to June 2026. The report categorizes data by application type, case status, and field office.

Naturalization Overview

Naturalization allows lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to obtain U.S. citizenship, provided they meet the criteria set forth by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Application Statistics

Total applications received: 145,872
Applications approved: 57,697
Applications denied: 12,842
Pending applications: 742,138 (including military applicants)

Breakdown of Applications

General naturalization accounted for the majority of applications, with:

140,179 applications received
54,974 approved
12,591 denied
727,371 pending

For military naturalization, which pertains to applicants eligible due to their service in the U.S. armed forces:

5,693 applications received
2,723 approved
251 denied
14,767 pending

Processing Speed Concerns

Despite the influx of applications, USCIS is not keeping pace with the volume. The agency processed 70,539 cases (approvals and denials combined), which translates to approximately 48 decisions for every 100 applications received. Denials constituted about 18.2% of the total decisions made.

Pending Applications by Office

As of the end of Q3, the following field offices reported the highest number of pending applications:

Houston: 31,057
Dallas: 28,662
Chicago: 23,623
San Jose: 20,899
San Antonio: 18,999

Dallas led in new applications received at 6,167, followed closely by Houston (5,545) and Chicago (5,077). Houston also had the highest approval rate, with 4,441 approvals, trailed by Dallas (3,089) and Brooklyn (2,526).

Denial Rates and Variances

Brooklyn reported the most denials, totaling 733. Other significant denial rates were observed in Queens (706), New York (706), Newark (578), and Houston (437). The disparity in denial rates among different offices is notable; for example:

Queens denied 706 of 1,533 cases (46.1%)
Newark denied 34.6%
Greer, SC, denied only 5.6% of cases

Military Naturalization Insights

Greer received the highest number of military naturalization applications at 1,252, followed by San Antonio (982) and Chicago (652). Notably, military naturalization applications benefit from significantly shorter median processing times of 2.6 months, compared to 9.5 months for general applications.

Conclusion

While completions are robust, the substantial backlog of over 727,000 applications highlights a persistent gap between incoming requests and processing capabilities for naturalization.

Additional Information

Supporting forms such as N-565, N-600, N-336, and N-648 continue to contribute to ongoing activity in the citizenship process, from initial applications to certificate issuance, replacements, and appeals.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, immigration, or tax advice. For the most accurate updates, please consult the official government portals.

Source Reference (financialexpress.com): US citizenship backlog hits 742,138 as USCIS decides just 48 cases per 100 received