WASHINGTON, DC --Today’s release of a new U.S. citizenship examination by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) marks the start of a critical year of training and education, according to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund.  The USCIS’ new test, which must be taken by immigrants who apply for naturalization on or after October 1, 2008, includes a revised version of the 100 questions that serve as the basis for the U.S. government and history portion of the exam. Naturalization examiners will ask applicants 10 questions, and they must answer six correctly to pass the test.

According to Arturo Vargas, Executive Director of the NALEO Educational Fund, “Many of the questions and the topics covered by the new examination are quite similar to the current test – applicants will still need to know basic information about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, how our government functions, the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens, and the importance of major events in U.S. history.  The test will cover some new areas as well, including questions about U.S. geography and Cabinet-level positions in the federal government.  It is important that the USCIS work closely with public and private educators and community-based organizations to ensure that newcomers are fully prepared to take the new test when it is implemented next year.”
A complete list of the new questions is available on the USCIS’ website [click here].

The USCIS has provided sample answers to the new government and history questions, and in some cases, provides examples of several correct answers that can be given to a specific question.  The agency acknowledges that there may be other correct answers not included in its sample.  Mr. Vargas concluded, “The USCIS must be very careful to ensure that its examiners treat applicants fairly when determining whether they have correctly answered questions on the new test.  The agency must also comply with current regulations which require it to take into account the special circumstances of applicants who face particular challenges because of their age, education, or other similar characteristics.  It is critical that the agency implements an effective program to train its examiners on administering the new exam.”

The USCIS will continue to test applicants’ ability to read and write English by giving them up to three chances to read and write a sentence in English. The agency will also continue to test spoken English proficiency through the questions typically asked during applicants’ USCIS naturalization interview. 

Older applicants with lengthy permanent residence in the United States will continue to be exempt from the English proficiency requirements, but will be tested on U.S. government and history in their native language.  Applicants who are 65 years or older and have been legal permanent residents of the United States for 20 or more years must learn the answers to 20 questions designated by the USCIS in its sample list of 100.

The USCIS’ release of the new examination comes at the end of a multi-year process to re-design the test which included consultation with immigrant advocates, experts in newcomer education, and community-based organizations.  The re-design process also involved pilot testing in several U.S. cities to assess the impact of the new test on immigrants, education providers, and the agency itself.  According to Mr. Vargas, “We were pleased that throughout most of the re-design process, the USCIS provided those most familiar with the immigrant community an opportunity to help guide the development of the exam.  However, we are disappointed that the agency did not provide those groups with detailed information about the results of the pilot or a meaningful opportunity to comment on the very final version of the exam questions.  We hope that the USCIS will consult frequently with immigrant educators and service providers in the future as it develops outreach and study materials for the new exam.”

Naturalization applicants who file before October 1, 2008 and are scheduled to take the test after that date will generally have the option of taking the current test or the redesigned one.  The NALEO Educational Fund urges eligible legal permanent residents who believe they will be more comfortable taking the current examination to apply for U.S. citizenship as soon as possible.  Eligible legal permanent residents can obtain assistance with the naturalization process through the ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía! (It's time, citizenship!) campaign, launched in January 2007 by the NALEO Educational Fund, media partners Univision Communications, Entravision Communications, and impreMedia, and an alliance of community and faith-based organizations, unions, public and private agencies, law offices and attorneys, elected and appointed officials, and private businesses.   To obtain naturalization assistance, applicants should call (888) VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682), a toll-free hotline staffed with bi-lingual operators.  Information about the ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía! campaign is available on the campaign’s website [click here].