The US citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and activists fear the changes will hurt those with lower levels of English proficiency.
The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship, a months-long process that requires lawful permanent residence for years before applying.
Many are still in shock after the Republican Donald Trump administration changed the test in 2020, making it longer and harder to pass. Within months, Joe Biden took office and signed an executive order aimed at removing barriers to citizenship. In that spirit, the citizenship test was moved to its previous version, last updated in 2008.
In December, US authorities said the test needed to be updated after 15 years. The new version is expected by the end of next year.
WHAT WOULD THE CHANGES CONSIST OF?
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposes that the new test add an oral section to assess English skills. An officer would show photos of common scenarios, such as daily activities, weather, or food, and ask the applicant to verbally describe the photos.
In the actual test, an officer assesses speaking ability during the naturalization interview by asking personal questions that the applicant has already answered on the naturalization paperwork.
“For me, I think it would be more difficult to look at pictures and explain them,” said Heaven Mehreta, who immigrated from Ethiopia 10 years ago, passed the naturalization test in May and became a US citizen in Minnesota in June.
Mehreta, 32, said she learned English as an adult after moving to the US and found pronunciation very difficult. She worries that adding a new photo-based speaking section, instead of personal questions, will make the test more difficult for others like her.
Shai Avny, who immigrated from Israel five years ago and became a US citizen last year, said the new speaking section could also add to the stress applicants already feel during the test.
“When sitting next to someone from the federal government, it can be intimidating to talk and chat with them. Some people have this fear anyway. When it’s not your first language, it can be even more difficult. A person can get nervous maybe and not find the words to tell them what he needs to describe,” Avny said. “It is a test that will determine if you are going to be a citizen. So there is a lot to lose,” he added.
The immigration and citizenship service announced a new design for residence cards and work permits.
MORE COMPLEX QUESTIONS
Another proposed change would make the civics section on US history and government multiple-choice instead of the current short-answer oral format.
Bill Bliss, author of a Massachusetts citizenship textbook, gave an example in a blog post of how the test would become more difficult because it would require a larger knowledge base.
A current civics question has an officer ask the applicant to name a war the United States fought in the 20th century. The applicant only needs to say one of five acceptable responses (World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, or Gulf War) to correctly answer the question.
But in the proposed multiple choice format, the applicant would read that question and select the correct answer from the following options:
- a) Civil War
- b) Mexican-American War
- c) Korean War
- d) Spanish-American War
An applicant must know all five wars the United States fought in the 1900s to select the single correct answer, Bliss said, and that requires a “significantly higher level of language proficiency and test-taking ability.”
Currently, the applicant must correctly answer six out of 10 civics questions to pass. Those 10 questions are selected from a bank of 100 civics questions. The applicant is not told which questions will be selected, but can view and study all 100 questions before taking the exam.
Lynne Weintraub, citizenship coordinator at the Jones Library’s Center for English as a Second Language in Massachusetts, said the proposed format for the civics section could make the citizenship test more difficult for people who have learning difficulties. English. That includes refugees, older immigrants, and people with disabilities that interfere with their test performance.
“We have a lot of students who are refugees and come from war-torn countries where they may not have had the opportunity to complete school or even go to school,” said Mechelle Perrott, citizenship coordinator for the District College of Continuing Education. San Diego Community Colleges in California.
“It is more difficult to learn to read and write if you don’t know how to do it in your first language. That is my main concern about the multiple choice test; it’s a lot of reading,” Perrott said.
Permanent residents can request the desired benefit; Those in doubt are advised to consult an attorney.
Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a December announcement that the proposed changes “reflect current best practice in test design” and would help standardize the citizenship test.
Under federal law, most applicants for citizenship must demonstrate an understanding of the English language, including the ability to speak, read, and write commonly used words, and demonstrate knowledge of United States history and government.
The agency said it will conduct a nationwide test of the proposed changes in 2023 with opportunities for public comment. An outside group of experts, in the fields of language acquisition, civics and test development, will then review the test results and recommend ways to better implement the proposed changes, which could go into effect late next year.
More than 1 million people became US citizens in fiscal year 2022, one of the highest numbers on record since 1907, the first year for which data is available, and USCIS reduced the huge backlog of naturalization applications by more than 60% in compared to the previous year, according to a USCIS report also released in December.
