Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba topped the list of Latin American countries with the highest number of naturalized citizens in the United States in fiscal year 2023, according to a recent report by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
With about 111,500 people naturalized last year, Mexico led all countries in the world, accounting for 12.7% of the total 878,500 new citizens welcomed by USCIS in 2023.
The country was followed then by India (6.7%), the Philippines (5.1%), the Dominican Republic (4.0%), and Cuba (3.8%). "The top five countries of birth comprised 32% of the naturalized citizens," the report highlights.
Among detailed figures, Latinos from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba stood out significantly, representing 20,5% of the total naturalizations in 2023.
If we add those from other Latin American countries such as El Salvador (2.4%), Jamaica 2.29%, and Colombia (1.94%), naturalized Latinos amounted at least 27,13% of the total.
The agency was able to determine the residency status of applicants through the N-400 form used to apply for naturalization.Of all citizens naturalized in FY 2023, 70% resided in 10 states:
California (with 154,900 new citizens), Texas (99,900), Florida (94,100), New York (92,800), New Jersey (39,000), Illinois (33,300), Washington (26,100), Pennsylvania (25,000), Massachusetts (24,100), and Virginia (24,100). More than 50% resided in the top four states.
In the processing of cases, the local offices in Dallas and Houston, Texas, each registered 4.1 percent of all naturalizations, followed by Chicago, Illinois (3.7 percent), Newark, New Jersey (3.4 percent), and San Francisco, California (2.9 percent).
Over 39% of FY 2023 naturalized citizens were between 30 and 44 years old, with an average age of 41. About 18% were under the age of 30, and 37 new citizens were 100 years old or older.
Women made up more than 55% of the new citizens and were the majority in all age groups.
The requirements generally include being a lawful permanent resident (LPR) for at least five years. There are also other special naturalization provisions that exempt certain applicants, including certain spouses of U.S. citizens and applicants with military service, from one or more of the general requirements for naturalization.
The median years spent as an LPR varied by the citizens' country of birth. Out of these top countries, applicants from Mexico and Canada spent the longest time, with 10.4 years, and applicants from Nigeria spent the shortest, with 5.6 years.
Top 10 countries by approved naturalizations in fiscal year 2023
- Mexico, 111,500
- India, 59,100
- Philippines, 44,800
- Dominican Republic, 35,200
- Cuba, 33,200
- Vietnam, 32,800
- China, 25,800
- El Salvador, 21,100
- Jamaica, 20,200
- Colombia, 17,100
- All Others, 477,800
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