1615-AD07 202510 The Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions 1615 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS 1600 Department of Homeland Security DHS Improving the Process of Certification of Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions

DHS proposes to amend its regulations governing the process of certifying Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions by certain medical professionals. Through this certification process, aliens qualify for exemptions from the English proficiency and civics requirements for naturalization. The proposed amendments seek to strengthen the integrity of the naturalization process by implementing streamlined certification procedures for medical professionals and ensuring that only qualified aliens are granted exemptions. These changes are intended to enhance safeguards designed to prevent fraudulent submissions and ensure proper administration of disability exception process for naturalization.

]]> Other Significant First Time Published in The Unified Agenda Proposed Rule Stage Undetermined Undetermined Fully or Partially Exempt 8 CFR part 312 8 CFR 106.2 8 CFR part 336 8 U.S.C. 1103 8 U.S.C. 1423 8 U.S.C. 1443 Yes

Across the country and over the decades, there have been numerous instances where the medical certification process has been exploited. Some medical professionals have been arrested, indicted and convicted for submitting fraudulent Forms N-648 in violation of various federal statutes. This rule is intended to mitigate some of the concerns with the exploitation of the Form N-648 process, thereby further enhancing the integrity of naturalization process.

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DHS is currently considering the specific impacts of the proposed provisions.

]]> NPRM 04/00/2027 Undetermined Undetermined Undetermined No No Mark Phillips Residence and Naturalization Division Chief 1615 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS 240 721-3000 Office of Policy and Strategy, 5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Suite 4S190, Camp Springs MD 20588-0009