The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released its latest performance data on Form N-400, the Application for Naturalization. The report covers the third quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2026, from April to June 2026, and breaks the numbers down by category, case status, and field office.
Naturalization is the process that grants U.S. citizenship to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who fulfill requirements established by Congress and enumerated in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
How Many Citizenship Applications Did USCIS Get?
USCIS received 145,872 applications in total. It approved 57,697 and denied 12,842. A further 742,138 ( including Military) were pending at the end of the period.
General naturalization made up most of the load. It saw 140,179 applications received, 54,974 approved, 12,591 denied and 727,371 pending.
Military naturalization covers applicants whose eligibility relies on service in the US armed forces. It saw 5,693 applications received, 2,723 approved, 251 denied, and 14,767 pending.
So, is USCIS deciding cases as fast as they come in? Not quite. Approvals and denials together came to 70,539 against 145,872 new applications. That works out to roughly 48 decisions for every 100 received. Denials made up about 18.2% of the decisions.
Core N-400 Applications (Non-Military)
In Q3 alone:
140,179 new applications received
54,974 approved
12,591 denied
67,565 total completions
727,371 still pending at quarter’s end
Median processing time: 9.5 months
Fiscal Year-to-Date (through June 30, 2026):
523,605 received
279,685 approved
45,482 denied
325,167 total completions
Same pending inventory of 727,371
Approvals accounted for the large majority of completions, though the denial rate remained material. The large pending backlog (over 727,000) indicates that receipts and completions have not yet closed the inventory gap.
Which Offices Hold the Biggest Backlogs?
For Q3, Houston had the largest pending count at 31,057 applications. Dallas followed with 28,662, then Chicago with 23,623. San Jose (20,899) and San Antonio (18,999) came next.
Dallas also received the most applications, at 6,167. Houston (5,545) and Chicago (5,077) were close behind. Houston approved the most, at 4,441, followed by Dallas (3,089) and Brooklyn (2,526).
Related Citizenship Forms (Q3 snapshot)
| Form | Title | Received | Approved | Denied | Completions | Pending | Processing Time (months) |
| N-336 | Hearing on Naturalization Decision | 1072 | 243 | 418 | 661 | 3975 | 4.9 |
| N-565 | Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document | 8524 | 7976 | 702 | 8678 | 25286 | 7.6 |
| N-600 | Certificate of Citizenship | 12660 | 9199 | 831 | 10030 | 58165 | 6.9 |
| N-648 | Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions | 13001 | N/A | N/A | 5427 | 9302 | N/A |
Source: USCIS
Where Are Denials Highest?
Brooklyn recorded the most denials at 733. Queens and New York each had 706, followed by Newark with 578 and Houston with 437.
The gap between offices is wide. Among offices with at least 500 decisions, Queens denied 706 of 1,533 decided cases, or 46.1%. Newark denied 34.6%. At the other end, Greer in South Carolina denied 34 of 608 decided cases (5.6%), and Norfolk denied 37 of 580 (6.4%).
Greer received the most military naturalization applications, at 1,252. San Antonio (982) and Chicago (652) followed.
Key Takeaways
The general N-400 remains the highest-volume citizenship form, with nearly 140,000 new receipts in a single quarter and a pending inventory exceeding 727,000.
Military naturalization continues to benefit from markedly shorter median processing times (2.6 months vs. 9.5 months).
Completions are strong, but the large pending counts show that demand continues to outpace throughput for the core naturalization workload.
Supporting forms (N-565, N-600, N-336, N-648) add meaningful additional volume and reflect ongoing activity across the citizenship lifecycle, from initial application through certificate issuance, replacement, and appeals/hearings.
Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, immigration, or tax advice. While we strive to provide accurate updates, readers are strongly advised to verify the latest requirements with the official embassy, consulate, or government portal of the respective country. Financial Express is not responsible for any decisions made based on this information.