The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has asked officers to heavily focus on “good moral character” while considering citizenship applications of immigrants. It is not a new requirement and good moral character usually refers to the absence of criminal offenses of disqualifying conduct outlined in US immigration law, but the new policy said the “good moral character” assessment will be expanded.
What is good moral character in the new policy?
It is more than a cursory mechanical review focused on the absence of any wrongdoing, the USCIS policy said. Instead, it should be a holistic assessment of an immigrant’s behavior, adherence to societal norms, positive contributions towards the community.The markers of a good moral character are
- Community involvement
- Family caregiving and ties
- Educational attainment
- Stable and lawful employment
- Tax-paying status
- Length of time spent in the US
Difference between lawful and good moral character
Th new USCIS policy explains the difference between a technically lawful immigrant and an immigrant with good moral character. Reckless or habitual traffic infractions, or harassment or aggressive solicitation are some of the actions that make a difference between the two. The new USCIS policy instructed officers to weigh factors that could show that applicants who have engaged in wrongdoing have rehabilitated, such as complying with probation, paying overdue taxes or child support and receiving letters of support from their community.“US citizenship is the gold standard of citizenship — it should only be offered to the world’s best of the best,” USCIS chief spokesman Matthew Tragesser told CBS News. “Today, USCIS is adding a new element to the naturalization process that ensures America’s newest citizens not only embrace America’s culture, history, and language but who also demonstrate Good Moral Character.”A former USCIS official from the Biden administration, Doug Rand, said this is designed to scare legal immigrants from applying for US citizenship. “They’re trying to increase the grounds for denial of US citizenship by kind of torturing the definition of good moral character to encompass extremely harmless behavior,” Rand said.
