For many immigrants living in New York, becoming a United States Citizen is something they've dreamed about for a long time. Unfortunately, for some, this dream is never realized because of economic and language barriers that they are simply unable to overcome. With many immigrants living in poverty, the current application fee of $400 can be a major barrier. To make matters worse, the department of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced its intention to increase fees associated with each application by 80%. With this imminent increase, many potential applicants are rushing to submit their paperwork before the fee-change takes effect, and before many of them are ready. Unfortunately, many of the applicants do not yet have the English skills necessary to pass the American History interview portion of the process and now have even less time in which to prepare. Should they fail twice, they lose their initial application fee and have to start all over again.
Every applicant under the age of 65 must pass an English oral interview that demonstrates their ability to comprehend, speak, read and write about American history. In an attempt to make the interview balanced, the USCIS does provide a list of 96 history questions on their website along with a "Guide to Naturalization" that is used to generate all interview materials. Unfortunately, not all applicants have access to the internet, nor do they realize that these materials are available. In 2006 it is estimated that almost half of applicants in the 14 lower counties of New York failed the test.
After the fee-increase announcement a number of agencies serving immigrant populations contacted New York Cares to request volunteer assistance preparing their clients for the interviews. With the help of several immigration experts, we were able to create a curriculum that enables non-trained volunteers to assist the citizenship applicants. Through our new program "Citizenship Through English," New York Cares volunteers practice mock citizenship interviews with individuals, helping them prepare for the real interview. With this coaching, we hope that for many New Yorkers, their application fee will be money well spent when they pass the interview and go on to realize their dream of becoming a citizen of the United States of America.
For many immigrants living in New York, becoming a United States Citizen is something they've dreamed about for a long time. Unfortunately, for some, this dream is never realized because of economic and language barriers that they are simply unable to overcome. With many immigrants living in poverty, the current application fee of $400 can be a major barrier. To make matters worse, the department of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced its intention to increase fees associated with each application by 80%. With this imminent increase, many potential applicants are rushing to submit their paperwork before the fee-change takes effect, and before many of them are ready. Unfortunately, many of the applicants do not yet have the English skills necessary to pass the American History interview portion of the process and now have even less time in which to prepare. Should they fail twice, they lose their initial application fee and have to start all over again.
