Immigrants seeking to apply for naturalization in the United States are no longer limited to the ‘gender binary‘ on the N-400 form, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The agency, which oversees the U.S. immigration system and administers the naturalization process for those immigrants who wish to become American citizens, announced that applicants can now choose between “Male,” “Female,” and “Another Gender Identity [X].”
“We are also updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual accordingly to account for this form revision and other forthcoming form revisions that will add a third gender option,” USCIS stated in a policy alert released Monday. The Biden government’s update to immigration policy wasn’t just confined to offering a third gender on USCIS forms, however. Those who select Another Gender Identity will not be required to provide corroborating documentation.
“You do not need to provide supporting documentation to select X as your gender initially or to change your gender selection for Form N-400,” the policy guidance states, continuing: “The gender you select does not need to match the gender listed on your other immigration documents or on supporting identity documents, such as your birth certificate, passport, or state identification.”
USCIS contends the policy change was necessary as limiting the N-400’s gender options to simply Male and Female “created significant barriers for requestors who do not identify with either of those options.” The federal agency goes on to argue that limiting naturalization applicants to just two genders “also creates administrative challenges for USCIS when we receive birth certificates or other official government-issued documents with a gender other than M or F. Adding a third gender option helps ensure that secure identity documents and biographical data are accurate and helps both external stakeholders and individuals requesting immigration benefits.”
Nope, this is NOT an April Fools Joke
US Citizenship and Immigration Services actually added “other” as a gender option on their forms.
I’m glad we have our priorities in the right place! https://t.co/jIT2YxpDiG pic.twitter.com/9ehK9w5PRx
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 1, 2024