Indian woman becomes US citizen at 99

Daibai from India was excited to take the oath of allegiance at USCIS’ Orlando, Florida office

Age they say is just a number. Proving the adage, Daibai hailing from India became a US citizen at the age of 99 in Orlando, Florida.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a picture of Daibai taking the oath of allegiance in their Orlando office, accompanied by her daughter, with the USCIS officer who swore her in.

“They say age is just a number. That seems true for this lively 99-year-old who became a #NewUSCitizen in our Orlando office. Daibai is from India and was excited to take the Oath of Allegiance. She’s pictured with her daughter and our officer who swore her in. Congrats Daibai!,” the USCIS posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

While some celebrated Daibai’s new life, some raised concerns about the delays in the immigration process. One user said, “Happy for Daibai. But, most Indians who are employed in H1B unfortunately won’t see even get their green cards when they are 99 or some even when they are 150 years old.”

Another individual urged for a smoother and faster process, saying, “I hope to become a citizen before turning 99. Please make the process smoother for hard working immigrants.

Prominent Indian-born Americans include World Bank President Ajay Banga, Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, search giant Google and its parent Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, former PepsiCo chairman Indra Nooyi, and actor, author, and former White House staff member in the Barack Obama administration, Kal Penn.

Over 59,000 Indians became US citizens in 2023, helping the country secure the second slot for the top source country for new citizens in America after Mexico, according to the annual USCIS report.

Nearly 870,000 foreign nationals became US citizens during the fiscal year 2023 ending Sep 30, 2023. Of them, over 110,000 were Mexicans (12.7%) and 59,100 (6.7%) Indians.

In general, a non-citizen must spend at least five years as a lawful permanent resident to be eligible for naturalization while the spouse of a US citizen must spend at least 3 years as a lawful permanent resident. The median number of years spent as a Legal Permanent Resident for all citizens naturalized in FY 2023 was 7 years, according to the report.