移民局11月4日发新备忘录：入籍「良好道德品质」审查纳入抚养、担保与福利使用
美国公民及移民服务局（USCIS）11 月 4 日发布政策备忘录 PM-602-0201，明确入籍申请中“良好道德品质”（Good Moral Character）审查将更直接地纳入申请人的家庭抚养、担保义务履行情况与公共福利使用情况。备忘录适用于 N-400 入籍申请的审理，移民局表示将据此编写新的《政策手册》内容，并修订 N-400 表格，以收集申请人履行抚养责任与使用公共福利的更多信息，但未给出两项工作的时间表。
良好道德品质是入籍的法定条件之一。申请人一般须在递交申请前的五年内（美国公民的某些配偶为三年内）证明具有良好道德品质，并持续至宣誓入籍之时，证明标准为优势证据。移民局在备忘录中说，审查历来不限于犯罪记录，也包括纳税合规、财务责任与其它行为；新备忘录把审查重点进一步落到钱的方面：子女抚养、担保合同与公共福利。
备忘录列出六类可能导致官员认定申请人缺乏良好道德品质的行为：故意不履行或拒绝抚养受抚养人，包括未成年子女；在申请、领取或使用公共福利中实施欺诈或蒙骗；在担保义务仍有效期间，未履行经济担保书（I-864、I-864EZ 或 I-864A 表）上的义务；未履行 I-134 或 I-134A 财务支持声明中的承诺；以非法手段为本人或帮助受抚养人获取公共福利；以及出于被社区一般成员视为有意逃避自给自足的原因而领取须经经济状况审查的公共福利。备忘录同时写明，合法领取公共福利本身不是入籍的障碍，也不必然构成负面因素；官员须结合个案情况逐项权衡。受抚养人使用须经经济状况审查的福利，在特定情形下可作为申请人未履行抚养责任的证据。
这份备忘录建立在移民局 2025 年 8 月 15 日发布的备忘录基础之上。后者于 2025 年 8 月 17 日生效，要求官员以“全部情况综合判断”的方式审查良好道德品质，在负面行为与康复表现、积极贡献之间权衡，而不只是对照一份取消资格的行为清单。11 月 4 日的备忘录则在这一框架下，给出了与财务和福利有关的更具体的考量清单。移民律师协会（AILA）11 月 4 日将该备忘录登记为 AILA 文件 26110402。
移民局还表示，修订后的 N-400 表格将要求申请人提供更多关于抚养责任与福利使用历史的信息。备忘录本身没有单独的生效日期。移民局在 9 月 18 日之后递交的 I-485 调整身份申请中，已扩大公共负担审查中可权衡的须经经济状况审查的福利范围；11 月 4 日的备忘录针对的是入籍环节，与绿卡申请环节的公共负担审查是两个不同的程序。
对正在准备入籍的绿卡持有人而言，备忘录的实际影响将取决于官员在个案中如何适用这些标准，以及修订后的 N-400 表格何时启用。移民局在备忘录中说，官员须对每起案件单独判断；财务困难或合法领取政府援助本身，不会自动导致申请人丧失入籍资格。
USCIS Issues Nov. 4 Memo: Good Moral Character Review for Naturalization Now Weighs Support, Sponsorship and Benefits
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued Policy Memorandum PM-602-0201 on November 4, 2026, telling officers that the "good moral character" test for naturalization will now weigh an applicant's family support, sponsorship obligations and use of public benefits more directly. The memorandum applies to adjudications of Form N-400, the Application for Naturalization. USCIS said it will write new Policy Manual guidance and revise Form N-400 to collect more information about financial responsibilities, support of dependents and benefit use, without giving a date for either change.
Good moral character is a legal requirement for naturalization. An applicant generally must show good moral character during the five years before filing — three years for certain spouses of U.S. citizens — and continuing until the oath of allegiance, under a preponderance-of-the-evidence standard. USCIS said the review has never been limited to criminal history and may also cover tax compliance, financial obligations and other conduct; the new memorandum ties the test more directly to money: child support, sponsorship contracts and public benefits.
The memorandum lists six kinds of conduct that can lead an officer to find that an applicant lacks good moral character: willfully failing or refusing to support dependents, including minor children; fraud or deception in seeking, receiving or using public benefits; failing to meet obligations on an affidavit of support (Form I-864, I-864EZ or I-864A) while the obligation remains enforceable; failing to honor financial support commitments under Forms I-134 or I-134A while they remain in effect; unlawfully obtaining public benefits for oneself or helping dependents do so; and receiving means-tested public benefits for a reason that average members of the community would see as intentionally avoiding self-sufficiency. The memorandum also states that lawful receipt of public benefits is not itself a bar to naturalization and is not always a negative factor, and that officers must weigh the relevant factors case by case. A dependent's use of means-tested benefits may, depending on the circumstances, be evidence that the applicant failed to support that dependent.
The memorandum builds on an August 15, 2025 USCIS memorandum, effective August 17, 2025, that told officers to judge good moral character holistically under a "totality of circumstances" analysis, weighing past wrongdoing against rehabilitation and positive contributions, rather than checking a list of disqualifying acts. The November 4 memorandum adds a more detailed list of financial and welfare-related conduct to be weighed within that framework. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) logged the memorandum on November 4 as AILA Doc. No. 26110402.
USCIS said the revised Form N-400 will collect more detailed information from applicants about their financial support obligations and their history with public benefit programs. The memorandum does not set a separate effective date. In a separate step, USCIS guidance for Form I-485 filings on or after September 18, 2026 lets officers weigh a wider range of means-tested public benefits in the public-charge assessment for adjustment of status; the November 4 memorandum concerns the naturalization stage, a different procedure from the public-charge review at the green-card stage.
For green card holders preparing to naturalize, the practical effect will depend on how officers apply the standards in individual cases and on when the revised Form N-400 comes into use. USCIS said officers must decide each case individually, and that financial difficulties or lawful receipt of government assistance do not automatically disqualify a person from becoming a U.S. citizen.
来源：美国公民及移民服务局
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：美国公民及移民服务局总部（GSM 固定图库）。USCIS headquarters. (GSM asset library)
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