USCIS Celebrates Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
On Sept. 17, the nation observes Constitution Day and Citizenship Day as part of Constitution Week. The commemoration honors both the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, and an observance that began in 1940 as “I Am an American Day.” Citizenship Day began in 1952, signed into law by President Harry Truman and, in 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower proclaimed the first Constitution Week.
This year, USCIS will celebrate by welcoming more than 17,000 new citizens in over 400 naturalization ceremonies across the nation between Sept. 14 and Sept. 23. USCIS reaffirms its commitment to promoting citizenship and making the naturalization process accessible to all who are eligible in this country. We have decreased the naturalization backlog by 60 percent and returned to processing times under 6 months. Since the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration, we have taken a number of steps to support implementation of Executive Order 14012: Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans. These include:
- Issuing a new edition of the Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, with new features:
- USCIS is raising awareness of the contributions naturalized citizens make to the United States through the Outstanding Americans by Choice (ABC) initiative. USCIS has recognized 10 outstanding naturalized Americans so far this year. Since the start of the initiative in 2006, USCIS has recognized 167 naturalized citizens for contributions to their community and adopted country.
- To help demystify the naturalization process and share the life-changing impact of U.S. citizenship, the Citizenship Ambassadors initiative has increased the number of volunteer immigrant community leaders across the United States to connect with aspiring citizens.
- To help applicants prepare to become U.S. citizens, we provide study materials and resources, including an app, USCIS: Civics Test Study Tools, available in the Apple App and Google Play Store. You can also access a civics practice test on the Citizenship Resource Center.
- USCIS continues our support of U.S. military members, veterans, and their families by streamlining the naturalization process and providing dedicated support and specialized services, including dedicated web pages, a special Military Help Line, fee waivers on most applications, and special handling of military naturalization applications.
More Information
For more information, see the news release.
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