USCIS Denies Over 12,000 Citizenship Applications in 2026

New data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reveals that 12,591 applications for American citizenship were denied between April 1 and June 30, 2026.

This denial rate of approximately 18.6% means nearly one in five applicants who received a decision was turned away. During the same period, USCIS received 140,179 applications, approving 54,974 and bringing total decided cases to 67,565.

The backlog of pending applications at the end of the quarter stood at 727,371, highlighting significant processing delays within the agency. The high volume of pending cases suggests that many applicants have been waiting beyond the quarter for their cases to be resolved.

For immigrants, including Nigerians, pursuing American citizenship, these figures underscore the challenges and uncertainties in the naturalisation process. USCIS has not issued a public statement addressing the denial numbers for this quarter, and the data is part of the agency's routine statistical reporting.