US Citizenship Test Will Change Starting October

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Starting October 20, 2025, immigrants will have to take the US citizenship exam under new rules. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has already approved the updated test format and formalized it in the Federal Register. The changes affect the number of questions and the scoring procedure, making the process noticeably more difficult. However, exemptions remain in place for elderly applicants.

What Will Change

The main innovation concerns the number of questions. The exam bank now contains 128 tasks instead of the previous 100. During the interview, the officer can ask up to twenty questions, and to pass successfully, applicants must answer at least twelve correctly. The exam may be completed early — as soon as the candidate reaches the required minimum of correct answers or makes nine mistakes.

Some applicants will continue to take the simplified version — 10 questions, with six correct answers required. The 65/20 rule provides this relief for foreigners over 65 with at least twenty years of permanent residence. This category also retains the right to take the exam in their native language.

Application and Retake

For those who file their citizenship application on or before October 20, 2025, the old 2008 version of the exam will apply — ten questions from a pool of 100. Anyone applying after that date will automatically switch to the new format. To avoid confusion, USCIS has published two sets of study materials in advance.

If a candidate fails the test on the first attempt, they will be scheduled for a second interview within 60–90 days. Only the section that caused difficulties will need to be retaken: either civics or the English language component. This procedure is established in the USCIS Policy Manual.

The new civics exam is intended to better assess knowledge of US history and government fundamentals and is part of a multi-stage reform, USCIS explained. Officials believe that a US passport is not a right but a privilege. USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser stated: “American citizenship is the most sacred in the world and should only be available to those who fully embrace our values and principles.” Naturalization is possible for applicants who are fully assimilated and “will contribute to the greatness of the country,” he added.

Visa Policy

Earlier, the US State Department revised the rules for obtaining non-immigrant visas. Now applications can only be submitted in the country of citizenship or permanent residence. For states without US embassies, special missions have been designated: Russians must apply in Astana or Warsaw, Belarusians in Vilnius or Warsaw, and Ukrainians in Krakow or Warsaw. According to US diplomats, this system should unify the process and reduce the number of attempts to apply “through the back door” in third countries.

As of September 2, in-person interviews are mandatory for most categories of non-immigrant visas. Starting October 1, a new mandatory “visa integrity fee” of $250 will be introduced. This will be added to the existing consular fee of $185, making the minimum application cost $435.

The tightening also affects holders of already issued documents. The State Department announced the review of more than 55 million valid visas. Permits will be revoked in cases of violations of stay conditions, criminal offenses, or security threats. In addition, officers are required to analyze applicants’ social media activity, paying attention to statements hostile to US citizens and institutions, as well as support for terrorist organizations.

Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, more than six thousand student visas have been revoked — more than double last year’s figure. Most students lost their permits due to criminal violations, while several hundred came under suspicion of ties to terrorist organizations.

One Dollar for the Green Card Lottery

The changes are part of a broader US program aimed at tightening immigration policy. Thousands of foreigners have already been advised to leave the country—with authorities even willing to pay them for doing so. Against this backdrop, the introduction of a one-dollar fee to enter the green card lottery may seem minor. Many participants are unaware that winning the lottery may mean nothing at all. Subsequent procedures require significant financial investment, and strict checks filter out a substantial share of winners. Analysts believe that obtaining the right to visit the US will become even harder, though a full closure of the lottery is not yet being discussed.