New Delhi, Oct. 26 -- The US citizenship test has become tougher, potentially making the path to becoming an American longer for many immigrants. The change - in the 2020 Naturalization Civics Test - affects anyone who applied for naturalization on or after that date.

The changes, announced by President Donald Trump's administration, went into effect on October 20 and are already catching applicants by surprise. Under the new rules, applicants face 20 civics questions instead of 10, and must get at least 12 right to pass. That is double the previous requirement.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in its announcement that examiners will now stop the test early if an applicant answers 12 questions correctly or 9 inco...