USCIS Reintroduces Neighborhood Investigations for Naturalization Applicants
- Li Law Group
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
What the August 25, 2026 policy means for pending and new Form N-400 cases
By | Li Law Group, LLC | Updated August 27, 2026
On August 25, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a new policy alert concerning investigations and examinations of people applying for U.S. citizenship.
The guidance does not create a new legal power, and it does not say that USCIS will interview the neighbors of every naturalization applicant. Instead, it incorporates a revived investigation policy into the USCIS Policy Manual, ends the agency’s longstanding general waiver of neighborhood investigations, and emphasizes verification of information provided during the naturalization process.
The guidance is effective immediately and applies both to naturalization applications already pending on August 25, 2026, and to applications filed on or after that date. See USCIS Policy Alert PA-2026-10.
Key takeaway: USCIS may conduct a personal or neighborhood investigation, but it retains discretion to waive the investigation in a particular case or in specified classes of cases. Selection for an investigation is not, by itself, a denial or finding of wrongdoing.
What is a neighborhood investigation?
Federal law has long authorized personal investigations of naturalization applicants. The relevant statute permits an investigation in the vicinity of the applicant’s residence and employment during at least the five years preceding the naturalization application. It also authorizes the government to waive the personal investigation in individual cases or classes of cases. See 8 U.S.C. § 1446.
The implementing regulation describes a naturalization investigation as including, at a minimum:
Review of pertinent government records;
Police-record checks; and
A neighborhood investigation in places where the applicant has resided, worked, or conducted business during at least the five years before filing Form N-400.
The regulation also permits USCIS to waive the neighborhood component. See 8 C.F.R. § 335.1.
Although this authority has existed for decades, the former Immigration and Naturalization Service had largely stopped conducting neighborhood investigations by 1991, relying instead primarily on FBI criminal-history checks and other security screening.
USCIS first announced the end of its general waiver in an August 22, 2025 policy memorandum. The August 2026 update places that approach into the controlling USCIS Policy Manual and states that it supersedes conflicting prior guidance.
Will USCIS investigate every naturalization applicant?
No. The policy does not establish an automatic neighborhood investigation for every Form N-400.
According to the policy alert, USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, working with its Field Operations Directorate, may decide whether to conduct or waive an investigation based on:
An individualized review of evidence in the applicant’s record; or
A review of identified classes of cases.
The alert does not publish a checklist of facts that will automatically trigger an investigation. Applicants should therefore be cautious about claims that only certain nationalities, occupations, neighborhoods, or types of cases will be investigated.
USCIS may also determine that a waiver is appropriate in a particular case. However, applicants should no longer assume that the agency will routinely waive the investigation without reviewing whether one could be useful.
What information may USCIS examine?
The policy directs officers to examine all factors affecting naturalization eligibility and to confirm the applicant’s information through documents, investigative information, and testimony provided during the naturalization interview.
Depending on the case, USCIS may consider information concerning:
The applicant’s residences and employment;
Continuous residence and physical presence;
Good moral character;
Attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution;
Disposition toward the good order and happiness of the United States;
The applicant’s character and activities in the community;
Prior immigration filings and government records; and
Any inconsistencies between the N-400, supporting documents, prior applications, and interview testimony.
The updated USCIS Policy Manual chapter on background investigations should be read together with the agency’s guidance governing the naturalization examination.
Can applicants submit character-reference letters?
Yes. The new policy expressly allows an applicant to submit testimonial or character-reference letters voluntarily.
USCIS states that these letters should preferably come from U.S. citizens who are not members of the applicant’s family. A writer should personally know the applicant and be able to provide truthful, firsthand information about matters such as the applicant’s:
Character;
Eligibility for naturalization;
Loyalty to the United States;
Attachment to constitutional principles; and
Satisfaction of other naturalization requirements.
Reference letters are not automatically beneficial in every case. Because a letter becomes part of the immigration record, vague, exaggerated, or inconsistent statements may create additional questions. An applicant should never ask someone to sign a scripted statement that the person cannot support from personal knowledge.
How should applicants prepare?
Review the complete immigration history: Compare the N-400 with prior visa applications, green-card filings, removal records, petitions, and earlier statements to the government. Identify differences involving addresses, employment, marriages, organizations, or travel before the interview.
Reconstruct at least five years of addresses and employment: Verify dates using tax records, leases, mortgages, employment records, school records, and other reliable documents. Do not present estimates as exact dates when uncertain.
Identify facts affecting naturalization eligibility: Carefully review arrests, citations, taxes, child support, Selective Service registration, extended international travel, prior marriages, voting, or claims to U.S. citizenship.
Decide whether reference letters are appropriate: The new policy permits voluntary letters, but the writer, content, and consistency of each letter matter more than general praise.
Prepare for an examination under oath: The interview is not limited to the English and civics tests. USCIS may ask about any issue affecting eligibility and compare the answers with documents and investigative information.
Do not ignore a USCIS request: Submitting letters with Form N-400 is voluntary. A later Request for Evidence, interview notice, or other USCIS directive should be answered completely and on time.
What does the policy mean for pending N-400 applications?
Because the guidance applies to applications pending on August 25, 2026, an applicant does not avoid the policy merely because Form N-400 was filed earlier.
A pending applicant may wish to review the application and supporting record now, especially if there are:
Gaps or inconsistencies in the address or employment history;
Material differences between the N-400 and earlier immigration filings;
Criminal, tax, or family-support concerns;
Long trips outside the United States; or
Questions about organizations, associations, or prior statements.
The investigation policy does not automatically make such an applicant ineligible. It does mean that unresolved inconsistencies may receive additional attention.
Frequently asked questions
Does a neighborhood investigation mean USCIS suspects fraud?
Not necessarily. The policy does not say that selection for an investigation constitutes a fraud finding. An investigation is an additional method of gathering and corroborating evidence.
Are reference letters mandatory when filing Form N-400?
No. The August 2026 alert describes them as voluntary. USCIS nevertheless states that appropriate letters may assist the agency in determining whether to waive an investigation.
Will two letters guarantee that USCIS waives the investigation?
No. USCIS considers the letters together with the entire record and retains discretion to conduct an investigation.
Does the policy replace fingerprints and FBI background checks?
No. Neighborhood investigations supplement rather than replace criminal-history, biometric, and security checks.
Does the policy apply only to new applications?
No. It applies to applications pending on August 25, 2026, as well as applications filed on or after that date.
Does this policy apply to green-card applications?
The August 25 policy alert specifically addresses naturalization eligibility and Form N-400 applicants. Other USCIS benefits are governed by separate vetting and adjudication policies.
Speak with Li Law Group
Applicants should not panic, but they should take the expanded verification process seriously. A careful review before filing or before the naturalization interview may help identify discrepancies, determine whether reference letters are appropriate, and prepare the applicant to answer USCIS questions accurately.
If you are preparing Form N-400, have a pending citizenship application, or are concerned about facts in your immigration history, learn more about Li Law Group’s citizenship and naturalization services or contact our Omaha immigration law office to schedule a consultation.
Official authorities
USCIS Policy Alert PA-2026-10, August 25, 2026
USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 12, Part B, Chapters 2 and 3
8 U.S.C. § 1446
8 C.F.R. Part 335
This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration laws, procedures, and agency policies may change, and the application of the law depends on the facts of each case.
