Katherine Rearick

Naturalization: Requirements and Obstacles

Part I

            In recent debates, we’ve all heard immigrants lament the complications of obtaining U.S. citizenship. I have wondered: What is it about our system that makes it difficult to immigrate legally? What does our government require of immigrants and what makes the process so complex?

            My next-door neighbors immigrated to the United States from Russia twenty-five years ago. They still speak bitterly of what they endured to become citizens. They came with visas so Frank could work for NASA in an engineering exchange. The plan was to stay one year, but Frank and his wife, Ana, stayed five. During this time, NASA helped them, making sure their paperwork was in order so they could remain legally.

            When the time came for Frank and Ana to return home, they decided they wanted to stay and become American citizens. At this point, to their dismay, NASA deserted them. They became mired in a complicated system of options, paperwork, and contradictory regulations. After months of trying to maneuver the system on their own, Frank and Ana realized they needed an attorney who specialized in immigration and naturalization. With the help of immigrant friends, they found an attorney and eventually attained citizenship. The process took three more years and most of their life savings.

            Why would two educated, hardworking people have such difficulty? To find out, I pretended to be an immigrant seeking information about citizenship. I began browsing the Internet.

            I did a web search on Ask.com: “Requirements for becoming a U.S. citizen.” The majority of sources provided were advertisements for law firms specializing in immigration, offering “help” to obtain legal citizenship. Most of these websites look official, very governmental. Most provided some useful information but conclude with some variation of “Find out more about our citizenship services by enrolling in our course for just (some extravagant price)!”

            One example of this type of site can be found at http://www.uscitizenship.info/?ad=adword&keyword=uscitizenship11. All the sites operate on the premise that immigration law is too complicated for the average immigrant, and obtaining citizenship can be accomplished only with an attorney and at great expense.

            It was dismayingly difficult to find the official website for the INS, http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm. Although this site provides links to official forms and documents needed to begin the process, there is little information about the actual requirements and process of obtaining citizenship. The most helpful aspect of this site is that it provides news and warnings regarding U.S. immigration law.

            A better source is located at http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/, sponsored by an organization described as an “independent non-government organization dedicated to help individuals … through the U.S. immigration process.” This site requires immigrants to pay for services, but it also contains the clearest explanations I found of avenues to establish legal residency.

            On this site, I learned the difference between obtaining a Green Card and full citizenship: “A Green Card, officially known as a Permanent Resident Card, is evidence of your status as a lawful permanent resident. A Green Card gives you the right to live and work permanently in the United States.” Immigrants who obtain Green Cards, however, are not required to meet all requirements of full citizenship, including giving up citizenship in one’s home country and swearing allegiance to the United States.

            Ironically, the best source I found is a site designed to explain the process to American high school students studying citizenship. Located at http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/citizenship/citizenship.html, this site is a service of the Superintendent of Documents in the U.S. Government Printing Office. It states that to become a citizen a person must meet these requirements:

• Be at least 18.
• Have lived in the U.S. legally for at least five years.
• Be of good moral character and loyal to the U.S.
• Be able to read, write and speak English.
• Have basic knowledge of the history, government and the Constitution of the U.S.
• Be willing to swear allegiance to the U.S.

If one meets these requirements, naturalization involves three steps:

1. File an application.
2. Take a naturalization examination.
3. Appear for a court hearing.

This site contains additional links to elaborate on each requirement and step.

            My neighbors, Ana and Frank, met all of the requirements. Why, then, was it so difficult to complete the process? My research showed that much of the problem lies in the inaccessibility of information. Combine this fundamental obstacle with a language barrier, unfamiliarity with the American legal system, and limited finances, and one understands why many immigrants choose to sidestep citizenship and risk deportation.

            The problems uncovered here are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the difficulties of U.S. naturalization. In Part II of my research journal, I want to explore actual cases in which these obstacles have hindered immigrants’ efforts to obtain citizenship.