Good moral character is one of the most basic requirements in the naturalization process. A naturalization applicant must show that during the statutory period, the applicant has been and continues to be a person of good moral character. Although the law specifies that the good moral character recruitment applies to the statutory period (3 or 5 years), conduct prior to that period may impact the decision by the USCIS officer regarding whether the applicant meets the good moral character requirement. Consideration of the applicant's conduct and acts outside the statutory period is specifically sanctioned by law in certain circumstances. The examining USCIS officer will look at the applicant's criminal history from all time periods.

Good moral character is determined on a case-by-case basis. Certain criminal conduct precludes a finding of good moral character and makes the applicant ineligible to naturalize. Good moral character is generally defined as character which measures up to the standards of average citizens of the community in which the applicant resides. Even if an applicant has not been arrested or convicted, any conduct or acts which offend the accepted moral character standards of the community in which the applicant resides will be considered by the examining USCIS officer.

Expunged convictions are treated differently in the immigration context, and USCIS has special rules about expunged convictions.

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