WASHINGTON POST 8/19/25
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services called for a more “holistic” review of applicants, which includes a more subjective standard for “good moral character.”
On Friday, USCIS called for a more “rigorous, holistic and comprehensive” approach to evaluating those applying for naturalization, stating that “good moral character” is defined by an individual’s “behavior, adherence to societal norms, and positive contributions.” USCIS officers have been instructed to judge “on a case-by-case basis,” the memo stated.
While the order “is not necessarily a break from past practice,” it emphasizes USCIS officers’ ability to “impose their subjective interpretations of this fuzzy concept in their evaluations of naturalization applicants,” said Jane Lopez, an associate professor of sociology at Brigham Young University who specializes in immigration and citizenship policy.
According to Lopez, all applications for U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, tourism visas and student visas are by default subject to evaluation by one or more USCIS officers.
These officers already have the “authority to deny that application for a multitude of reasons,” she added.
The latest move could “make it harder for noncitizens to obtain legal belonging in the United States,” she said, since USCIS officers “must evaluate something they cannot consistently describe or define.”
“Good moral character” has been a requirement for obtaining U.S. citizenship since the Naturalization Act of 1790. But Lopez said citizenship applicants are now faced with the additional burden of proving they have “positive attributes,” rather than simply demonstrating they have not been convicted of crimes or taken part in other kinds of misconduct.
The USCIS memo cites “family caregiving, responsibility, and ties in the United States” as examples of positive attributes, as well as educational achievement and long-term community involvement.