In present times, the United States of America is seen as one of the most dominant rising powers in the world and a place of opportunity. With the scale of innovation and jobs and education and an opportunity for a good life, it comes with no surprise that immigrants around the world flock to the promised land of the United State of America. Unfortunately, a large number of immigrants coming into the United States are doing so illegally because the process of coming into the United States legally is more time consuming and strenuous then you would think. Approximately 675,000 immigrants are allowed to come into the United States annually and that is a fraction compared to the millions of people trying to become Americans and have opportunities for success. The process of naturalization has many requirements to pass and can take years and years to accomplish and because of this we see many immigrants reach the inside of the United States illegally instead of taking the legal path.
The first step in becoming a U.S. citizen is determining if you are already a U.S. citizen or not, such as you were born in the United States to an illegal immigrant and given the birthright of U.S. citizenship. Obviously, this is not the case for the majority of people wanting to come into the United States and for them they need to see if they are eligible to become a citizen through the requirements of Form N-400. Form N-400 is the application to becoming a citizen. Before the form is even able to be filed the applicant must be 18 years or older and a permanent resident who has lived in the United States continuously for 5 years. And within those 5 years the applicant must be physically in the United States for 30 months of the 60 months, so if a job or vacation takes the applicant out of the United States it cannot be for more than 30 months over time. On top of that, the applicant needs to be able to understand basic reading, writing, and speaking in English and also know basic U.S. history and government and understand and agree with the Constitution. And lastly, have a good moral character.
Of course for the step that requires the applicant have been in the United States for 5 years a green card is needed. And the process of acquiring a green card is of itself a time consuming and strenuous task and the card only lasts for 10 years when it needs to be renewed. One of the best ways to obtain a green card is though employment but unless you have special abilities or distinguished academics this may be challenging for the applicant. Obviously, an immigrant owning the title PhD or has earned a Noble Bell Peace Prize would stand out and have a higher chance of being accepted than a construction working with possibly a few years of high education. What the immigration services look for can range from armed forces members to investors that would create more jobs. Acquiring a green card can take many paths and become a long endeavor and this is only a small part of the 20 page Form N-400 that needs to be completed in order to become a citizen.
When or if the applicant is able to complete and submit the Form N-400 there are even more steps to be taken. After the form is accepted a few weeks later the applicant is sent an appointment notice for bio-metrics. In this appointment the fingerprints, photograph, and signature are taken to verify your information. You will be told everything you need such as identification. Possibly more appointments will be scheduled if machines aren’t working or their was a mistake and you are required to attend all of them. After the bio-metric appointment a notice is sent for the naturalization interview. In this interview the applicant will be tested on 10 civics questions out of a pool of 100 and also be given an English language test. You will also be interviewed on your immigration background and your N-400 application. The people conducting the interviews and tests will immediately know the results and tell you so there is no waiting to see if you passed or failed. If you do not pass then the interview and tests can be done again but you only have two chances on the tests.
And after completing all these requirements you are given a notice to take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in a public place. Finally the applicant is a U.S. citizen and only needs to understand his or her rights and responsibilities as a citizen. But, of course each individual requirement takes extreme amount of time and effort and this is only scratching the surface of complexity it could have on certain applicants. There are other factors in individuals lives that complicate the process more than it already takes.
Imagine putting yourself in the shoes of others seeking to come into the United States. Imagine the time and effort it would take to do all this and what if you had a family? What if you had no money or job? It comes as no surprise that so many people try to reach the United States illegally, but the difficulty cannot be an excuse to come into the United State illegally. In the end it comes down to luck and the fact of where you are born and to what family. All of us living in the United States have it easy in a sense and it is extremely difficult for others to obtain what we all take for granted.
Sources:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Citizenship through Naturalization
Road to Status, How Long Does it Take to Become a U.S. Citizen?
 |
| The Wall Street Journal, The Day I Got My Green Card |
 |
| Legal Beagle, Difference Between Certificate of Citizenship & Naturalization |
 |
| Wikipedia, Citizenship of the United States |
Sources:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Citizenship through Naturalization
Road to Status, How Long Does it Take to Become a U.S. Citizen?
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Study for the Test
The Balance Careers, How to Get a Green Card to Work in the US
The Atlantic, What the Waiting List for Legal Residency Actually Looks Like
The Balance Careers, How to Get a Green Card to Work in the US
The Atlantic, What the Waiting List for Legal Residency Actually Looks Like
