Admin Expands ‘Good Moral Character’ Test

[Leeman15251 48]

Did anyone see some of the changes for the naturalization good mortal character requirements? I think the most interesting part is about how it is not just looking at the absence of crimes but positive contributions to the community. I was wondering what others thought about the changes?

 

 

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-alerts/08.15.2025-Restoring_a_Good_Moral_Character_Evaluation_Standard_for_Aliens_Applying_for_Naturalization-Policy_Memorandum_FINAL.pdf

[TBoneTX 47,809]

Thanks for finding this.  As for the news, it sounds thorough and thought-out.

[tripswitch 12]

EDIT: I deleted this post. The new guidelines (not the ones from the original poster, the more recent ones from 8/19/25) do not apply to Naturalization cases.

Edited August 20 by tripswitch

[steve-phuket 19]

i'm a bit worried about this. my wife has zero crimes anywhere so that was never an issue but she doesn't work, and we travel quite a lot outside the USA although we will meet the rules for less than 18 months in 3 years out of the US.

 

we just started volunteering for habitat for humanity but realistically i doubt we'll do many hours. we do help our elderly neighbour with house repairs for free, maybe she would be willing to write a letter to confirm that.

 

i wonder what else we could do? we bought a fixer up house and have been restoring it over the last couple of years, we don't get paid for that but it is a kind of job and we pay more property tax as a result of the upgrades.

 

i wonder if these things will be enough? i guess no one knows yet since the new rules haven't kicked in.