USCIS Guidance Could Bring Neighborhood Investigations to Naturalization Examination

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ended its general waiver of neighborhood investigations in August 25, 2026 guidance covering pending and later-filed naturalization applications. The USCIS Guidance took effect immediately, but does not mean every applicant will be investigated.

The update reintroduces personal investigations under INA 335(a), while reinforcing USCIS’s authority to examine applications under INA 335(b). It is a Policy Manual change, not a new statute. The policy applies to Form N-400 cases already pending when it took effect and those filed afterward.

USCIS resumed investigations under a policy memorandum issued August 22, 2025. The new guidance sets out how the agency will use that authority. The policy does not make an inquiry automatic.

USCIS says the process can add details that documents and an interview may not reveal. The agency says the information can help assess an applicant’s record and eligibility for citizenship.

“Neighborhood investigations provide USCIS with information that interviews and documents may not be able to provide, such as unrehearsed observations/information about the applicant”

Inquiries may reach people at home, work or in the community

USCIS may contact neighbors, landlords, employers, co-workers, business associates and customers. Applicants are not the only people who may hear from an investigator.

Questions may cover employment, family or marital status, social activities and associations, travel, foreign activities and criminal history. Investigators may also seek information about an applicant’s residences, financial obligations and reputation in the community.

The inquiry can help confirm details supplied on Form N-400. USCIS may use the information to assess good moral character, credibility and an applicant’s attachment to constitutional principles.

The investigation generally takes place before the naturalization interview, practitioner analysis says, and should cover at least the five years before the N-400 was filed. USCIS may cover a shorter or longer period, including time abroad, and may order an investigation at any time before the oath, including after the interview. An investigation at either stage could delay a case.

USCIS guidance does not set a standard timeline for an individual investigation. The agency’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, working with its Field Operations Directorate, decides whether to conduct or waive an inquiry after reviewing relevant evidence or a class of cases.

Optional character letters may support a waiver, but do not secure one

Applicants can send testimonial or character-reference letters with Form N-400. USCIS may consider them when deciding whether to waive an investigation, but the letters are not a naturalization requirement.

The ILRC describes submitting two letters and provides a template. Letters are preferably from U.S. citizens who are not family members and can speak from personal knowledge. Truthful, specific examples are more useful than generic praise, practitioner guidance says.

Letters do not guarantee a waiver. USCIS may still contact people who know the applicant, even when references have been submitted. The absence of letters alone does not justify a finding against good moral character, though failing or refusing to provide requested letters or other evidence may contribute to a decision to conduct an investigation.

Review the application and answer any USCIS notice

Applicants preparing a filing can take a few practical steps:

1. Check that the N-400 address and employment histories are complete and accurate.
2. If USCIS plans to deny an application based on unfavorable investigation information, respond to the agency’s notice. Practitioner analysis says applicants must receive notice and an opportunity to address that information.

Indian applicants fall under the same policy as other naturalization applicants. Attorneys say how the guidance will be enforced remains to be seen. Anyone contacted about an applicant can be asked about their personal observations; the inquiry may occur before the oath, even after an interview.