Office of the
Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Mail Stop 1225
Washington, DC 20528-1225
CIS OMBUDSMAN
STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON
NATURALIZATION OATH CEREMONIES
December 16, 2008
The Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, established by the Homeland Security
Act of 2002,1 provides independent analysis of problems encountered by individuals and
employers interacting with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and proposes changes to
mitigate those problems.
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
With U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalizing more than 1,000,000 new
citizens in FY 2008,2 the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (Ombudsman)
initiated a study of naturalization ceremonies in June 2008. The Ombudsman observed 19 large
and small scale administrative and judicial ceremonies in six districts nationwide and
interviewed customers, agencies and USCIS staff present. This study and these
recommendations address how USCIS can: (1) expeditiously perform meaningful naturalization
oath ceremonies that are convenient for individuals eve