· 2 min read
illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Washington Post or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: The U.S. government has rolled out a more rigorous version of the citizenship civics test, effective October 20, 2025, for all naturalization applicants
• The updated exam expands the question pool from 100 to 128 and now requires test-takers to answer 12 out of 20 spoken questions correctly
• The revisions emphasize historical knowledge and more complex phrasing, making the test significantly harder—particularly for applicants who speak English as a second language
🔭 The context: The updated test comes amid broader immigration policy changes under President Trump’s second administration, which has pushed for stricter scrutiny of citizenship applicants and raised the possibility of revoking naturalized citizenship in some cases
• Civic education and patriotism have become key political themes, with the administration seeking to reinforce national identity through more demanding citizenship standards
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: While the test is a domestic policy matter, it reflects broader global trends around migration, national identity, and inclusion
• Raising barriers to citizenship—especially through language-heavy assessments—can restrict access to political participation and civil rights, disproportionately affecting vulnerable migrant populations
• Such policies may undermine international commitments to inclusion and equal opportunity, core tenets of sustainable, just societies
⏭️ What's next: Legal advocates and immigration organizations are expected to challenge or lobby against the new test format, citing concerns about fairness and accessibility
• Civic education platforms and tutors are updating resources to help applicants prepare
• The debate may also influence the 2026 midterm elections, as immigration remains a polarizing issue in U.S. politics
💬 One quote: “It’s definitely more challenging, especially for people [for whom] English is not their first language,” said Jonathan Wong, an instructor with USCitizenshipTest, an online tutoring service
📈 One stat: To pass the new test, applicants must now answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly—up from 6 out of 10—drawn from a revised 128-question pool
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