Attention to those applying for U.S. citizenship: USCIS will ask you about them!

A significant policy update affecting immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship has arrived. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified the scope of conducting a “neighborhood investigation” (environmental inquiry) in some citizenship applications with its new guide published on August 25, 2026.

Under the new regulation, USCIS officers can verify the applicant’s information not only through documents and interviews but also via environmental research when they deem it necessary.

Information can be obtained from neighbors and employers.

According to USCIS’s policy guide, personal investigations can encompass the applicant’s residential and workplace environment. In this scope, officers can assess whether the citizenship requirements are met by gathering information from people who know the applicant or from the surroundings.

The purpose of the investigation is to verify the information provided on the N‑400 form and supporting documents, and to assist in determining whether the applicant meets the conditions required for citizenship.

It is noted that factors related to citizenship eligibility—such as residence history, employment history, and good moral character—may hold particular importance within the scope of the review.

No action will be taken on every citizenship application.

USCIS's update does not mean that the neighbors or employers of every applicant will be automatically searched.

The agency decides on a case‑by‑case basis, according to the officer's assessment, whether to conduct a neighborhood investigation for an application. In USCIS's official guide, it states that after reviewing the N‑400 and other evidence related to the application, the officer may request a neighborhood investigation at any stage up to the Oath of Citizenship.

The program actually restarted in 2025.

An important detail of the August 25, 2026 update is that USCIS did not launch such personal investigations for the first time in 2026.

The agency had reactivated the neighborhood investigation procedure for citizenship applications in August 2025. The 2026 update, by incorporating the practice into the USCIS Policy Manual, clarified the role of this method in evaluating citizenship applications.

The information in the N-400 form is gaining greater significance.

According to experts, the most important result of the application is the likelihood that the information submitted in citizenship applications can be verified from multiple sources.

Therefore, individuals filing for citizenship must provide their address history, employment history, and other personal information on the N‑400 form in a complete and consistent manner.

USCIS's basic approach is to require proof that the applicant meets the requirements for citizenship. According to the agency's policy guidance, the applicant must demonstrate citizenship eligibility throughout the entire application process.

The new policy does not mean that the neighbors of all citizenship applicants will be investigated. However, it explicitly states that, in addition to the documents, interviews and background checks that USCIS deems necessary, the agency may also employ a method of gathering information from personal networks.