Trump Admin Expands ‘Good Moral Character’ Test to Become U.S. Citizen

The Trump Administration is introducing more stringent criteria for assessing “good moral character” in U.S. citizenship applications.

The policy, issued in a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) memo on Friday, directs the agency to conduct a more comprehensive and “holistic” assessment of applicants’ “good moral character,” including by accounting for applicants’ “positive attributes and not simply the absence of misconduct.”

“U.S. citizenship is the gold standard of citizenship—it should only be offered to the world’s best of the best,” USCIS chief spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said in a statement to news outlets. “USCIS is adding a new element to the naturalization process that ensures America’s newest citizens not only embrace America’s culture, history, and language