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U.S. citizenship form

What Do the Revisions of Form N-648 Mean?

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that there have been revisions made to Form N-648, otherwise known as the Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions. These revisions were made to reduce the burdens that naturalization applicants, their medical professionals, and the USCIS often experience, as there is now an elimination of questions and language that no longer have practical utility or were redundant. Read on to discover how these revisions may affect you and how one of the seasoned attorneys at our Lyndhurst naturalization law firm, the Law Offices of Salvatore A. Falletta, LLC, can guide you through Form N-648.

Why were revisions of Form N-648 made?

The revisions made to Form N-648 are in response to recent policy updates made by the Biden Administration. The specific policy updates read as follows:

  • President Biden’s Executive Order 14012: otherwise known as Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans. This policy update is intended to remove barriers for naturalization applicants and medical professionals.
  • President Biden’s Executive Order 13985: otherwise known as Advancing Racial and Equity Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. This policy update is intended to remove barriers for underserved populations.

Regarding these revisions, USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou said, “This is a wonderful example of how USCIS is listening to the public it serves to better address their needs, while fulfilling our responsibilities as an agency. The changes made to Form N-648 are yet another way in which USCIS is removing barriers to naturalization, by President Biden’s Executive Order 14012 and Executive Order 13985.”

What do the revisions of Form N-648 mean for a naturalization applicant?

Firstly, it is important to mention that Form N-648 is useful if you are a naturalization applicant with a physical or developmental disability or mental impairment that prevents you from fulfilling the English and civics testing requirements for naturalization. This is because filing Form N-648 allows you to request an exception to those requirements, so long as this is completed and certified by a medical professional.

With that being said, the most significant revisions made to Form N-648 read as follows:

  • Questions about how each relevant disability affects specific functions in your daily life (i.e., going to work or school) have been eliminated.
  • Required proof of the date of your diagnosis, the severity of your disability, and whether you have a pre-existing relationship with your medical professional has been eliminated.
  • The need for separate medical documentation has been eliminated.
  • Guidance for telehealth medical examinations has been added.
  • The acceptance of Form N-6648 after you file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, has been added.

For more, contact one of the competent attorneys at our Lyndhurst family & individual immigration law firm today.

Contact our experienced New Jersey firm

If you need experienced legal counsel for matters regarding immigration, please contact the Law Offices of Salvatore A. Falletta, LLC today to schedule a consultation. Our firm is located in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.