St. Paul (US): American citizenship Examination is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates worry that the changes will disadvantage test-takers with lower levels of English proficiency.
The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship—a process lasting up to a month. legal Permanent residence for years prior to application.
Many are still shaken after former Republican President Donald Trump’s administration made changes to the test in 2020, making it longer and more difficult to pass. Within months, Democratic Pres. Joe Biden Took office and signed an executive order aimed at removing barriers to citizenship. In that spirit, the citizenship test was changed to its previous version, which was last updated in 2008.
In December, US officials said the test was due for an update after 15 years. The new version is expected to arrive at the end of next year.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services It is proposed that the new test add a speaking section to assess English skills. An officer will show pictures of common scenarios – such as daily activities, weather or food – and ask the applicant to verbally describe the pictures.
In the current test, an officer evaluates speaking ability during the naturalization interview by asking personal questions that the applicant has already answered on naturalization paperwork. Another proposed change would make the civics section on American history and government multiple-choice instead of the current oral short-answer format.
In the current civics question, an authority is asking the applicant to name the war America fought in the 1900s. To get the correct answer to the question, the applicant has to say only one of the five acceptable answers. But in the proposed multiple choice format, the applicant shall read that question and select the correct answer from the following options. Currently, an applicant has to answer six out of 10 questions in civics correctly to pass. AP
The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship—a process lasting up to a month. legal Permanent residence for years prior to application.
Many are still shaken after former Republican President Donald Trump’s administration made changes to the test in 2020, making it longer and more difficult to pass. Within months, Democratic Pres. Joe Biden Took office and signed an executive order aimed at removing barriers to citizenship. In that spirit, the citizenship test was changed to its previous version, which was last updated in 2008.
In December, US officials said the test was due for an update after 15 years. The new version is expected to arrive at the end of next year.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services It is proposed that the new test add a speaking section to assess English skills. An officer will show pictures of common scenarios – such as daily activities, weather or food – and ask the applicant to verbally describe the pictures.
In the current test, an officer evaluates speaking ability during the naturalization interview by asking personal questions that the applicant has already answered on naturalization paperwork. Another proposed change would make the civics section on American history and government multiple-choice instead of the current oral short-answer format.
In the current civics question, an authority is asking the applicant to name the war America fought in the 1900s. To get the correct answer to the question, the applicant has to say only one of the five acceptable answers. But in the proposed multiple choice format, the applicant shall read that question and select the correct answer from the following options. Currently, an applicant has to answer six out of 10 questions in civics correctly to pass. AP