The U.S. government is implementing significant changes to the naturalization process, including adding more questions to the civics test and reinstating a stricter 2020 version aimed at assessing applicants' attachment to American values. The new civics test will require applicants to study 128 questions about U.S. history and government, answer at least 12 out of 20 questions correctly, and will be administered orally without multiple-choice options. These changes will affect applications filed after mid-October. The updates include questions on the 10th Amendment, the Federalist Papers, historical figures like Eisenhower, Hamilton, and Madison, and American innovations. The Trump administration claims these measures will ensure only fully assimilated and committed individuals become citizens, emphasizing loyalty and patriotism. Critics argue these changes will make naturalization more difficult, especially for long-term residents, and are part of broader efforts to restrict legal immigration benefits. The administration also plans to enhance scrutiny through neighborhood investigations and stricter moral character assessments, including disqualifying applicants for illegal voting or false claims of citizenship. Experts note that fraud in the naturalization system is relatively low, and the process has become more secure over time with advanced technology and thorough background checks. However, the move to increase test difficulty and introduce new requirements is seen by many as a political strategy to foster negative sentiment towards immigrants and limit legal pathways to citizenship.