The immigration service announced on Monday that it has the new test for citizenship, which came into effect on December 1, and reactivated the old exam approved in 2008.
The Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) “updates policy manual on education requirements for naturalization,” evidence demonstrating “knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of history and of the principles and practices of the United States government,” said the agency .
The citizenship test it is one of the fundamental tests in the naturalization process. In November, the Donald Trump administration triggered a new test with 128 questions to replace the old exam that contained only 100.
Candidates for naturalization have two options to pass the test that measures English language proficiency and civics.
With the old exam, the agency formulated 10 questions of which the immigrant had to answer 6 correctly to pass. With the new exam, the number of questions has increased to 20 and you have to answer 12 correctly.
Why the change
In an internal memorandum, the USCIS said the revision follows the new immigration policy introduced by the Joe Biden administration as of January 20.
USCIS received approximately 2,500 public responses regarding the 2020 citizenship test. Several commentators noted that there was little prior notice prior to the implementation of the 2020 citizenship test, raising concerns about the limited time for the study and the preparation, as well as the supply of materials and resources, ”said the bureau.
“Because of the comments and in accordance with the Executive Order to restore trust in our immigration justice systems and strengthen the integration and inclusion of New Americans Insports, USCIS will return to the 2008 test,” he said.
The Immigration Department further said that “there will be a short period of time during which USCIS will be able to offer both versions of the test to accommodate certain naturalization applicants who have submitted after December 1, 2020 or before March 1, 2021 and an interview is scheduled for April 19, 2021. ”.
The beneficiary
In keeping with the new policy, the USCIS said that:
- Conduct the integration test 2008 to applicants who have applied for naturalization before December 1, 2020, or who will apply from March 1, 2021;
- It allows applicants to take the 2008 Citizenship Test or the 2020 Citizenship Test in cases where applicants submitted their application for naturalization on or after December 1, 2020 and before March 1, 2021 and their interview is scheduled for April 19, 2021;
- It will administer the 2008 Citizen Test to all applicants whose interviews are scheduled for April 19, 2021.
“I think the previous administration was in a rush and didn’t give people enough time to prepare. The change will no doubt help immigrants who qualify for US citizenship, ”said Alex Gálvez, an immigration attorney who works in Los Angeles, California.
“Perhaps the new administration has determined that the changes made under Trump’s zero tolerance were only motivated to create artificial barriers against new citizens,” he added.
The new citizenship test was harshly criticized by the immigrant community, who saw it as an additional obstacle to legal immigration to the United States.
On February 2, Biden signed three executive orders, including one to simplify the legal immigration system to the United States.
Among the recommendations, the president said his administration will identify the barriers that prevent access to immigration benefits and fair and efficient assessments of these benefits, including naturalization, and will make recommendations on how to overcome these barriers, if appropriate and consistent with law ”.
