Biden administration won’t use Trump-era citizenship test

The Biden administration is scrapping a citizenship test developed under the Trump administration that critics say was designed to make it tougher for immigrants to become Americans.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will revert back to the 2008 version of the test, the agency said Monday, saying the 2020 test developed by the previous administration “may inadvertently create potential barriers” to citizenship.

Those preparing to become U.S. citizens must demonstrate a basic understanding of English and pass a civics test.

But the Trump administration expanded the pool of potential questions test takers might be asked from 100 to 128.

It also upped the total number of questions applicants would be asked and must answer correctly from 6 out of 10 to 12 out of 20.

The administration will offer both versions of the test until April 19 in order to assist those that have been preparing to pass the Trump administration’s version of the test.

In addition to the changes to the test, the Trump administration also raised the cost to apply to take it from $640 to $1,160.