U.S. immigration officers are visiting neighbors and workplaces of citizenship applicants to verify reputation and moral character as part of the review process. The practice follows the revival of a long-suspended policy and is now being applied in actual adjudications.
After authorities announced plans to restore the “neighborhood investigation” policy last year, the measure has been incorporated into citizenship screening. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said on the 6th via social media platform X that officers are directly meeting neighbors, coworkers, and employers to confirm applicants’ living situations, character, and level of integration into American society.
The neighborhood investigation targets neighbors near an applicant’s residence over the past five years, as well as workplaces. USCIS officers may directly verify moral character, frequency of community participation, and loyalty to the Constitution through people familiar with the applicant.
The practice was effectively halted in the early 1990s but was reintroduced into the screening process after USCIS disclosed its plan to reapply the policy in a policy memo last August.
USCIS has said neighborhood investigations may be skipped if submitted documents are sufficient. However, at an officer’s discretion, on-site inquiries involving acquaintances can be conducted when information is deemed incomplete or records raise questions. Statements or letters of reference from neighbors, supervisors, and colleagues may influence the review.
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
