The expanded processing time is the product of the pandemic (shut down of offices, their limited capacity, and the backlogs) and political priorities. The Obama

The expanded processing time is the product of the pandemic (shut down of offices, their limited capacity, and the backlogs) and political priorities. The Obama Administration made the expeditious processing of naturalization applications a priority and reduced the processing time to around 6 months on average. We will still feel the effects of the pandemic for some time but if the Biden Administration makes the processing of naturalization applications a priority, then the average processing could go down, and probably significantly.