U.S. Naturalizations: 2010

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released naturalization statistics for 2010.  Here is description of the recent and historical trends: 

“The number of persons naturalizing in the United States decreased to 619,913 in 2010 from 743,715 in 2009 and 1,046,539 in 2008. The 2008 number, an all-time record, followed a surge in applications in 2007 in advance of an application fee increase and efforts to encourage eligible immigrants to naturalize. The number of applications for naturalization, which declined from 2007 to 2008, increased to 570,000 in 2009 and 710,000 in 2010. The number of applications pending a decision decreased from 480,000 at the end of 2008 to 290,000 by the end of 2010.

Historical Trend

The average annual number of persons naturalizing increased from less than 120,000 during the 1950s and 1960s to 210,000 during the 1980s, 500,000 during the 1990s, and to 680,000 between 2000 and 2010 (see Figure 1). Naturalizations rose sharply during the mid-1990s. Factors that may have accounted for this increase include: 1) the 2.7 million undocumented immigrants legalized under the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986 becoming eligible for citizenship; 2) legislative efforts to restrict public benefits for non-citizens; and 3) implementation of a mandatory program requiring replacement of permanent resident cards issued before 1977. Until the 1970s, the majority of persons naturalizing were born in European countries. The regional origin of new citizens shifted from Europe to Asia due to increased legal immigration from Asian countries, the arrival of Indochinese refugees in the 1970s, and the historically higher naturalization rate of Asian immigrants. Consequently, Asia has been the leading region of origin of new citizens in most years since 1976.”

KJ