Hundreds of immigrants who had completed every step of the U.S. citizenship process—many after years of waiting—learned this week that their oath ceremonies were cancelled with no explanation.
County clerks in seven upstate New York counties told the Times Union that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) emailed them on 18 November to suspend all local naturalization events “until further notice.” The sudden halt affects Westchester, Rockland, Schenectady, Washington, Broome, Tompkins and Onondaga counties; only Monroe County says its December ceremony remains on track.
![USCIS Abruptly Cancels Upstate New York Naturalization Ceremonies]()
The cancellations follow two quieter policy shifts: USCIS stopped reimbursing counties for hosting ceremonies in September and barred outside groups from conducting voter-registration drives at oath events. Combined, local officials say, the moves push costs onto counties and deny new citizens a celebrated civic rite close to home.
Lawmakers are already pressing for answers. Representative Mike Lawler called the decision “deeply troubling,” noting that many affected applicants have already taken time off work, booked travel and invited family members. USCIS has not offered alternative dates or centralized locations, leaving applicants in limbo.
For global mobility teams the episode is a reminder to build contingency time into expatriate-to-citizen conversions and to counsel employees that even scheduled oath ceremonies are not guaranteed. Companies sponsoring employees through naturalization may need to adjust payroll tax and I-9 timelines accordingly.
County clerks in seven upstate New York counties told the Times Union that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) emailed them on 18 November to suspend all local naturalization events “until further notice.” The sudden halt affects Westchester, Rockland, Schenectady, Washington, Broome, Tompkins and Onondaga counties; only Monroe County says its December ceremony remains on track.
The cancellations follow two quieter policy shifts: USCIS stopped reimbursing counties for hosting ceremonies in September and barred outside groups from conducting voter-registration drives at oath events. Combined, local officials say, the moves push costs onto counties and deny new citizens a celebrated civic rite close to home.
Lawmakers are already pressing for answers. Representative Mike Lawler called the decision “deeply troubling,” noting that many affected applicants have already taken time off work, booked travel and invited family members. USCIS has not offered alternative dates or centralized locations, leaving applicants in limbo.
For global mobility teams the episode is a reminder to build contingency time into expatriate-to-citizen conversions and to counsel employees that even scheduled oath ceremonies are not guaranteed. Companies sponsoring employees through naturalization may need to adjust payroll tax and I-9 timelines accordingly.
