Nearly 1 million adult immigrants became U.S. citizens in the year ending in September, a high not reached since 2008.

Counting children, 1,023,200 immigrants were granted citizenship in that time, according to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) report.

The record-high number could be due to the large backlog of applications created during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Fiscal Year 2022 Progress Report.

US Naturalization Ceremony
Forty-six people take the Oath of Citizenship during a naturalization ceremony Wednesday, April 12, 2017 at Princeton University. The oath was administered by James Thompson, director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Newark District. Nick Barbeir/Princeton University Office of Communications

It's the third-highest total recorded. A record 1,046,539 adults became citizens in 2008 and 1,040,991 immigrants were naturalized in 1996, according to Homeland Security.

This 14-year high comes a year after President Biden directed federal agencies to eliminate bureaucratic barriers in the citizenship process. Federal agencies could therefore minimize their total caseload and develop a faster strategy to encourage eligible immigrants to become naturalized citizens.

USCIS Director Ur Jaddou told CBS News that the agency has also launched public awareness and information campaigns to explain the application process and show how the department can prioritize cases for U.S. service members.

"It is good for the nation for people to fully become part of this nation, join it in the fullest way they can," Jaddou said this week. "That has been a priority since the beginning of this administration, and we're going to continue the focus on ensuring that people who wish to become Americans can be."

Immigration