Navigating New Naturalization Standards and Good Moral Character: Good Enough?
USCIS has increased scrutiny of applications for naturalization. As a result, immigration practitioners need to adjust how they approach naturalization cases and advise clients. Recent policy memoranda have emphasized officers evaluating the applicant’s good character, from asking for additional documents in support of positive discretion to neighborhood visits. Our panel of experts will offer best practices for advising naturalization clients in this ever-evolving landscape.
Featured Topics
- Understanding the latest N-400 updates and revised “good moral character” framework
- Reviewing the client’s immigration and criminal history under new data-sharing practices
- Preparing clients for enhanced vetting, including site visits and third-party record checks
- Integrating positive factors and rehabilitation evidence under the new “holistic” standard
- Addressing heightened scrutiny of N-648 disability waivers
AILA Membership Benefit – Access to Free Seminar Recordings (CLE Credit Available for $35)
Enjoy access to free seminar recordings as an AILA Member. AILA encourages live attendance for those wishing to ask the speaker questions. CLE credit is included with purchase for live participants.
Recordings will be available approximately two weeks after the live event date. AILA members can access these seminars, with no CLE credit, for free. Recordings are CLE eligible in most jurisdictions and a $35 administration fee is required to obtain CLE credit.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a web seminar recording.
| Product Details | |
| Event Date | January 13, 2026 |
| Format | Web Seminar |
| Length | 90 minutes |
| CLE Eligible | Yes. Live attendance must be recorded in My CLE by Tuesday, January 20, 2026. This deadline does not apply to the OnDemand format. |
| Digital Library | Digital goods (MP3, PDF, ZIP, etc.) are available for download for two years after purchase. |
Eligible participants can receive up to 1.8 CLE credit hours. AILA will administer CLE credit only to individuals who register and log into the web seminar. AILA cannot verify your attendance and participation in this program unless you register directly for the web seminar and use your name to log in to participate in the program. Therefore, persons who log in or listen in on the web seminar as part of a group will not be able to obtain CLE credit.
Please note that your jurisdiction may limit the amount of distance learning credit you can earn. To view details on your jurisdiction's credit restrictions and CLE requirements, visit the CLE Center.
AILA has filed for CLE and specialized credit in all jurisdictions with mandatory CLE requirements. For details about specific approvals, contact us at cle@aila.org.
- AILA applies for accreditation upon attorneys’ request after participation for the following states: AR, DE, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, OR, TN and WY. Programs are typically approved.
- Florida and Rhode Island - Attorneys must apply on their own for approval of seminars in FL and RI. Programs are typically approved.
- The OnDemand Recording format does not qualify for CLE credit in the following jurisdictions: MO and PR. Please note that your jurisdiction may limit OnDemand credit based on the date of the original presentation. View the OnDemand Downloadable Expiration Chart for more details.
To receive CLE credit for the live event, attorneys must record web seminar attendance and the CLE code provided by January 20, 2026 via My CLE.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a seminar recording.
Bonnie G. Stern Wasser (DL), Seattle, WA
Scott C. Titshaw, AILA Family Section Steering Committee, Macon, GA
Scott Titshaw is a Professor and Associate Dean at Mercer University Law School, where he teaches immigration law. Dean Titshaw clerked for a federal court and practiced at Arnall Golden Gregory in Atlanta. He has chaired AILA’s GA-AL Chapter and served as an Editor-in-Chief of AILA’s U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Law Toolbox. He also published relevant articles, most recently Inheriting Citizenship, 58 Stan. J. Int’l L. 1 (2022), which can be found at https://digitalcommons.law.mercer.edu/do/search/?q=titshaw&start=0&context=16347505&facet=
Rachel Baskin, Garden City, NY
Michael R. Jarecki, Chicago, IL
