Military Naturalizations: Federal Agencies Assist with Naturalizations, but Additional Monitoring and Assessment Are Needed
Fast Facts
Noncitizens have a long history of serving in the U.S. military. Over 100,000 noncitizens joined from FYs 2010-2021. U.S. law authorizes the expedited naturalization of current and former servicemembers.
Servicemember naturalization applications fell 78% from 2017 to 2018—from about 11,000 to 2,500. DOD and other officials attributed this temporary decline in part to DOD policy changes, such as longer service requirements.
The military services don't ensure timely certification of applicants' service and could provide more information to servicemembers on the military naturalization process. Our recommendations address these and other issues.
Military servicemembers take part in a naturalization ceremony.
Highlights
What GAO Found
Servicemember naturalization applications fell by 78 percent from approximately 11,000 in fiscal year 2017 to approximately 2,500 in 2018. These applications returned close to pre-fiscal year 2018 levels by fiscal year 2021. The percentage of these applications that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved also fell in fiscal years 2017 and 2018. According to USCIS and Department of Defense (DOD) officials, these temporary declines were due in part to DOD policy changes, such as longer service requirements to obtain military service certification.
To improve military naturalization efforts, DOD, the services, USCIS, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should:
Develop procedures to ensure timely processing of military service certifications. Four of the five services lack procedures to ensure the timely processing of servicemember requests for certification of honorable military service. DOD policy directs the services to process these requests—a key step in the naturalization process—within 30 days.
Establish a DOD policy to ensure the services inform noncitizen servicemembers about naturalization assistance. The services offer military naturalization assistance. The Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard have processes to inform noncitizen servicemembers of such assistance. The Army also recently emailed noncitizen servicemembers about naturalization, but the Marine Corps has no such process.
Processes Services Use to Inform Noncitizen Servicemembers about Military Naturalization and Related Resources, as of April 2022
aMarine Corps does not have a process to inform noncitizen servicemembers about military naturalization resources.
Develop plans to assess military naturalization assistance efforts. DOD, USCIS and VA have taken coordinated actions, but they have not assessed their military naturalization assistance efforts.
Addressing these issues would help ensure that servicemembers do not face unnecessary delays, and provide insights into whether noncitizen servicemembers, veterans, and their families receive appropriate information about the military naturalization process.
Why GAO Did This Study
Noncitizens have a long history of serving in the military. Over 100,000 noncitizens joined the military from fiscal years 2010 through 2021. The Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes the expedited naturalization of current and former servicemembers.
GAO was asked to review issues related to the military naturalization process. This report examines (1) servicemember naturalization application data from fiscal year 2010 through 2021; (2) the extent DOD, the services, and USCIS developed and implemented military naturalization policies and procedures; and (3) the extent DOD, the services, the VA, and USCIS assist with military naturalizations and assess these efforts.
GAO analyzed USCIS data on servicemember naturalization applications and processing times. GAO also reviewed DOD, service, and USCIS military naturalization policies and procedures. GAO interviewed DOD, service, VA, and USCIS officials to determine the extent they assist with and assess military naturalization efforts.
Recommendations
GAO is making 11 recommendations including that the services develop procedures to collect information on military service certification processing timeliness; DOD establish a policy to ensure the services inform noncitizen servicemembers about naturalization assistance; and DOD, VA, and USCIS develop plans to regularly assess their military naturalization assistance efforts. DOD, VA, and USCIS agreed with our recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| United States Coast Guard | The Commandant of the Coast Guard should develop a policy documenting the N-426 certification process. (Recommendation 1) | In September 2022, we reported on military naturalizations. We found that the Coast Guard did not have a policy documenting the process for military service certification. Specifically, the Coast Guard had not issued a policy documenting the requirement for certifying officials to process N-426 forms-Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service-within the required 30 days. As a result, we recommended that the Commandant of the Coast Guard develop a policy to document the N-426 certification process. The Department of Homeland Security concurred with this recommendation. In March 2023, the Department of Homeland Security reported that the Coast Guard is in the process of... reviewing an update to their Commandant Instruction Manual that will create a policy for documenting the N-426 certification process and expected to issue this policy in the summer of 2023. In April 2025, Coast Guard officials told us that the update to the Commandant Instruction Manual remained under review with estimated completion in the summer of 2025. According to Coast Guard officials, they intend for the manual to include a requirement for processing N-426 forms within 30-days. We will continue to monitor the Coast Guard's efforts to address this recommendation.
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| Department of the Air Force | The Secretary of the Air Force should develop a procedure to collect information on the timeliness of certifying officials' return of N-426 forms to servicemembers applying for naturalization. (Recommendation 2) | In September 2022, we found that the Air Force did not have information to ensure that certifying officials process N-426 forms-Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service-within the required 30 days because they have not developed procedures for ensuring that certifying officials track and report this information. The N-426 form is required for noncitizen servicemembers to apply for naturalization. As a result, we recommended that the Secretary of the Air Force develop a procedure to collect information on the timeliness of certifying officials' return of N-426 forms to servicemembers applying for naturalization. The Air Force concurred with this recommendation. In April...
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| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop a procedure to collect information on the timeliness of certifying officials' return of N-426 forms to servicemembers applying for naturalization. (Recommendation 3) | In September 2022, we found that the Army did not have information to ensure that certifying officials process N-426 forms-Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service-within the required 30 days because they have not developed procedures for ensuring that certifying officials track and report this information. The N-426 form is required for noncitizen servicemembers to apply for naturalization. As a result, we recommended that the Secretary of the Army develop a procedure to collect information on the timeliness of certifying officials' return of N-426 forms to servicemembers applying for naturalization. The Army concurred with this recommendation. In November 2023, U.S. Army...
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| Department of the Navy | The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Commandant of the Marine Corps develops a procedure to collect information on the timeliness of certifying officials' return of N-426 forms to servicemembers applying for naturalization. (Recommendation 4) | In September 2022, we reported on military naturalizations. We found that the Marine Corps did not have information to ensure that certifying officials process N-426 forms--Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service--within the required 30 days because they have not developed procedures for ensuring that certifying officials track and report this information. As a result, we recommended that the Secretary of the Navy ensure that the Commandant of the Marine Corps develop a procedure to collect information on the timeliness of certifying officials' return of N-426 forms to servicemembers applying for naturalization. The Navy concurred with this recommendation. In March 2024,...
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| United States Coast Guard | The Commandant of the Coast Guard should develop a procedure to collect information on the timeliness of certifying officials' return of N-426 forms to servicemembers applying for naturalization. (Recommendation 5) | In September 2022, we reported on military naturalizations. We found that the Coast Guard did not have information to ensure that certifying officials process N-426 forms-Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service-within the required 30 days because they have not developed procedures for ensuring that certifying officials track and report this information. As a result, we recommended that the Commandant of the Coast Guard develop a procedure to collect information on the timeliness of certifying officials' return of N-426 forms to servicemembers applying for naturalization. The Department of Homeland Security concurred with this recommendation. In March 2023, the Department...
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| United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | The Director of USCIS should track time frames from their receipt of the last background check to the final adjudication date for applications filed by servicemembers stationed on active duty abroad and use this information to help improve efforts to adjudicate these cases within 180 days. (Recommendation 6) | In September 2022, we found that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) did not track the duration of time between when it received all background checks and the final adjudication for naturalization applications filed by servicemembers stationed on active duty abroad to determine whether USCIS is meeting the processing timeframes required by the Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act. As a result, we recommended that USCIS track time frames from their receipt of the last background check to the final adjudication date for applications filed by servicemembers stationed on active duty abroad and use this information to help improve efforts to adjudicate these cases within...
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should establish a policy to ensure that the military services develop and maintain a process to inform noncitizen servicemembers about the military naturalization process and available assistance and resources. (Recommendation 7) | In September 2022, we reported on military naturalizations. We found that the Department of Defense (DOD) did not have a policy that ensured all military services were informing applicable noncitizen servicemembers about the military naturalization process, as well as available assistance and resources. As a result, the military services' notification processes on military naturalization varied. We recommended that DOD establish a policy to ensure that the military services developed and maintain a process to inform applicable noncitizen servicemembers about the military naturalization process and available assistance and resources. DOD concurred with this recommendation. DOD issued a...
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should establish a mechanism to monitor the military services' implementation of their processes to inform noncitizen servicemembers of the military naturalization process and available assistance. (Recommendation 8) | In September 2022, we reported on military naturalizations. We found that the Department of Defense (DOD) did not have a mechanism to monitor the military services effort to inform applicable noncitizen servicemembers about the military naturalization process, as well as available assistance and resources. As a result, the military services notification efforts to noncitizen servicemembers varied. We recommended that DOD establish a mechanism to monitor the military services' implementation of their processes to inform noncitizen servicemembers of the military naturalization process and available assistance. DOD concurred with this recommendation. DOD issued a policy in September 2022...
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| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the VA and USCIS, should develop and implement a plan to regularly assess its military naturalization assistance efforts. (Recommendation 9) | In 2022, we found that DOD, VA, and USCIS had undertaken efforts to assist noncitizen servicemembers, veterans, and their families with the military naturalization process both separately and in coordination with each other. However, DOD, VA, and USCIS had not assessed their military naturalization efforts. As a result, we recommended that DOD, in coordination with VA and USCIS, develop and implement a plan to regularly assess its military naturalization efforts. As of April 2024, DOD, USCIS, and VA are active members of the Interagency Naturalization Working Group. Through the working group, DOD, in coordination with VA, and USCIS among other departments, has created and tracked annual...
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| Department of Veterans Affairs | The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with DOD and USCIS, should develop and implement a plan to regularly assess its military naturalization assistance efforts. (Recommendation 10) | In 2022, we found that VA, DOD, and USCIS had undertaken efforts to assist noncitizen servicemembers, veterans, and their families with the military naturalization process both separately and in coordination with each other. However, VA, DOD, and USCIS had not assessed their military naturalization efforts. As a result, we recommended that VA, in coordination with DOD and USCIS, develop and implement a plan to regularly assess its military naturalization efforts. As of April 2024, VA, DOD, and USCIS are active members of the Interagency Naturalization Working Group. Through the working group, VA, in coordination with DOD and USCIS, among other departments, has created and tracked annual...
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| United States Citizenship and Immigration Services | The Director of USCIS, in coordination with DOD and VA, should develop and implement a plan to regularly assess its military naturalization assistance efforts. (Recommendation 11) | In 2022 we found that USCIS, DOD, and VA had undertaken efforts to assist noncitizen servicemembers, veterans, and their families with the military naturalization process both separately and in coordination with each other. However, USCIS, DOD, and VA had not assessed their military naturalization efforts. As a result, we recommended that USCIS, in coordination with DOD and VA, develop and implement a plan to regularly assess its military naturalization efforts. USCIS chairs the Interagency Naturalization Working Group and as of April 2024, DOD and VA are also active members of this working group. As chair of the working group, USCIS oversees and tracks annual DOD and VA work plans...
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