New Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow is wasting no time shaking up the path to American citizenship.

Just weeks into the job, he's calling for a major overhaul of the U.S. naturalization test — blasting the current version as too soft and out of step with what Congress envisioned.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Edlow said the civics and English exam, which forms the backbone of the naturalization process, fails to reflect the knowledge and assimilation he believes should be required to become an American.

The test needs to reflect the letter and the spirit of what Congress intended," Edlow said. "It’s important for people to understand English, our history, our government... and the way the test is written and executed right now doesn’t meet that bar.

Under the current format, naturalization applicants must correctly answer six out of 10 civics questions randomly selected from a list of 100, covering topics like the Constitution, U.S. history, geography and civic responsibilities. They must also read one sentence aloud and write one simple sentence correctly in English.

Edlow says that’s not enough. He wants the test to probe deeper — presenting a broader cross-section of U.S. principles — and for English skills to be evaluated throughout the entire naturalization interview, not just in isolated reading and writing exercises.

"I want adjudicators to really be listening and talking throughout the interview," he said. "Switch up some of the wording... and see if the individuals are still able to comprehend the questions. That’s a better gauge of readiness."

Edlow said the test must preserve the integrity of the process and reflect assimilation expectations. He also pointed to a recent executive order declaring English the national language, calling language fluency "an imperative part" of the American dream

Companies are going for the highest-skilled workers but paying them at the lowest wage level," he said. "That’s undercutting U.S. graduates, especially in STEM fields."

He cited cases when third-party contracting firms helped employers lay off American workers — sometimes even requiring them to train their own foreign replacements — as evidence of a program being exploited to suppress wages.

Vice President JD Vance has echoed a similar sentiment. In July, he called out Microsoft for laying off around 9,000 American workers while applying for 4,700 H1-B visas. "I don't want companies to fire 9,000 American workers and then to go and say, 'We can't find workers here in America.' That's a bulls--- story."

The visa program has emerged as a political flashpoint within the GOP, creating a rift between MAGA populists and pro-business conservatives