Daily AncestorNaturalization examiner
A naturalization examiner was the federal officer who questioned applicants for citizenship and recommended to the judge whether to grant the petition.
After 1906 the federal Naturalization Service oversaw the courts, collected copies of their records and checked each applicant's arrival, and its examiners could object to a petition in court. Legislation of 1926 set up the designated examiner system, placing a naturalization examiner at each federal naturalization court. Examiners interviewed applicants, made recommendations to judges and monitored the proceedings.
The judge still made the decision, and courts kept naturalization until October 1991, when it became an administrative function of the immigration service.
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Daily Ancestor. "Naturalization examiner." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/immigration/naturalization-examiner. Last checked 2026-10-12.