While the best-case scenario would be for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to approve a person’s naturalization application, receiving a denial after a naturalization interview is not the end of the road. If USCIS denies the naturalization application, individuals can seek a USCIS hearing to appeal the denial by submitting form N-336 (informally known as an administrative appeal). Although the process is simple, many do not take advantage of this option. 

In this practice advisory, we will go over recent trends in naturalization applications and administrative appeals, common reasons why naturalization applications are denied,

and provide an overview of the administrative appeal process with tips on how to succeed.