According to a study conducted by Boundless Immigration, Cleveland is the #1 city in the United States for immigrants to become citizens. The study found that the city of Cleveland has the shortest average processing time, as well as one of the highest rates of clearing its backlog in the country. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office in Cleveland was also ranked as the most efficient office in the nation.
The Boundless Immigration survey compared the immigration process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 103 major metropolitan areas and 86 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field offices. The study used federal data collected by the Department of Homeland Security to draw its conclusions.
Cleveland ranked #1 on the “Best (and Worst) Cities to Become a U.S. Citizen” and the “Best (and Worst) Field Offices to Become a U.S. Citizen” lists. The average wait time for processing a citizenship application is more than 10 months across the country. But in Cleveland, it takes an average of just four months to process an application for citizenship.
Other key findings from the Boundless Immigration survey include:
- The processing time for a citizenship application doubled between 2012 and 2016.
- Processing times for applications are expected to increase because the government can’t keep up with the number of incoming applications.
- In the last few years, it has become more likely that a citizenship application will be denied.
- Becoming a U.S. citizen is more difficult in some places than others.
- While some cities have 4 or 5 government field offices for citizenship interviews, other cities don’t have any.
- Some immigrants have to travel more than 150 miles to find the closest field office to them.
At Sintsirmas & Mueller Co. L.P.A., we are committed to helping clients throughout Cleveland obtain U.S. citizenship. Our lawyers have more than 50 years of combined legal experience, and we are prepared to get to work for you today.
Call (888) 491-8770 to set up your consultation with a member of our law firm so we can assess your situation.
