Lying about US citizenship means lifetime ban, USCIS warns immigrants

Immigrants who falsely claim US citizenship risk a permanent ban under new USCIS guidance

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a blunt warning to immigrants: Lying about being an American citizen could result in a permanent bar from entering or staying in the country. 

In its updated policy manual, the agency said it is “restoring robust screening and vetting processes to detect aliens seeking to defraud or abuse the immigration system,” adding that “aliens who use false information or deceitful practices to unfairly obtain immigration advantages will face serious consequences.”

 

What the rule says

 

The change centres on the “false claim to US citizenship” ground of inadmissibility, which Congress introduced on September 30, 1996. Since then, any immigrant who makes such a claim to gain an immigration or legal benefit is permanently inadmissible, usually with no option for a waiver.

 

USCIS explained that Congress allowed a narrow exception for those who had been permanent residents in the United States before turning 16.

 

The agency also referred to a 2019 ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals in Matter of Zhang. That decision established that a false claim can still have consequences even if the person did not knowingly misrepresent themselves. USCIS incorporated the ruling into its guidance in 2020, noting that “it is not necessary to show intent to find an alien inadmissible for a false claim to US citizenship.”

 

How officers will apply the guidance

 

According to USCIS, the latest update “provides the steps an officer should follow to determine inadmissibility” and sets out the factors that must be considered in evaluating a false claim case. The guidance applies immediately to all pending and future applications.

 

The agency said the effort is not only about enforcement but also education. “We are actively increasing public awareness among aliens and the public about the consequences of committing immigration fraud,” USCIS said.

 

US immigrant population falls by 2 million

 

The warning comes as new government data suggests the immigrant population in the United States may have fallen by around 2 million in the first six months of the year.

 

Steven Camarota, director of research at the Washington-based Centre for Immigration Studies, said the figures may reflect President Donald Trump’s stricter immigration approach. In his analysis, he wrote that tougher enforcement could be discouraging foreign-born respondents from completing surveys or from identifying themselves as immigrants. “It is possible that the observed decline in the foreign-born was due, at least in part, to a greater reluctance by immigrants to participate.”

 

Julia Gelatt, associate director of US immigration policy at the Migration Policy Institute, told USA Today that fear was shaping behaviour in many households. “Because of the atmosphere – the mass deportation campaigns, the constant announcements – immigrants might be more reticent to answer,” she said.

  She added that many families could now be too scared to disclose their status. “They may be afraid to say they are a noncitizen,” said Gelatt.sdsrce