The naturalization process involves passing a series of exams that will help determine whether a person is worthy to become a full-fledged
Who can apply for a test?
Not everyone is allowed to begin the naturalization procedure to be admitted to the exams to obtain American citizenship. The applicant must meet the following requirements:
- A permanent resident of America or a green card holder for at least 5 years;
- be at least 18 years of age;
- residence must be continuous;
- to be physically present in the United States before and during the application and all procedures.
Also, an applicant may be eligible for several exceptions and amendments if he/she:
- a native of the United States;
- works outside the States and holds a specific position;
- has the required military service;
- married or married to an American citizen, or a child or parent of such a person.
Who doesn’t need to pass English Test?
However, several persons can be exempted from passing one exam, for example, for knowledge of English, and in some cases, they can be exempted from both exams:
- a person over 50 years old who has been living in the States with a green card for the last twenty years;
- a person over 55 who has been living in the States with a green card for the past fifteen years;
- a person over 65 who has been living in the States with a green card for the past twenty years.
if the person has a medical condition he/she doesn’t need to pass both tests.
After collecting and submitting all the necessary documents, as well as submitting fingerprints, the applicant receives an invitation to be interviewed at the State Migration Office on a specific date. A month is given to prepare for the tests.
What tests do you need to pass to obtain citizenship?
Exams are an integral part of the immigration process when acquiring US citizenship. Foreigners must pass two exams: English and the history and political structure of the United States. The English test consists of three parts: reading, writing and speaking. Many people argue that these tests are not difficult at all if prepared correctly.
The second test is intended to verify how well the applicant knows the history and political structure of America. The exam consists of three thematic sections:
- Fundamentals of American democracy, political system and government structure (57 questions);
- History of America (30 questions);
- Questions about geography, culture, traditions (13 questions).
What will happen on the exam?
Passing the exams will be the final step in the citizenship acquisition process. The citizenship test will test your real knowledge and skills. During the interview, you will need to communicate with the officers, you will need to answer his questions regarding your application or your life, and then he will offer to take tests.
- The mutual part requires you to be prepared to answer common questions such as “How are you?” As well as civil questions such as “Have you applied for American citizenship before?”
- The written part is a recording of one or several sentences under the dictation of an officer. In the end, you will be prompted to read the text aloud.
- After checking the knowledge of the language, it will be necessary to pass the so-called “civil” part of the exam – knowledge of the basics of the history and political structure of the United States. This test consists of 100 questions for US citizenship. However, the officer will only ask 10 questions, of which at least 6 must be answered to complete this stage. If you answer six questions at once, then they will not continue. Questions look like this: what do the stars and stripes on the American flag mean, or how many judges in the US Supreme Court?
On average, an exam interview takes about 30 minutes. The applicant has two attempts to answer questions and demonstrate proficiency in English. In the end, the officer announces the test results. If the result is positive, the person receives an invitation to take the oath. If negative, a new interview date is assigned in 2-3 months.
Top 6 Advice for applying persons
- You can apply for US citizenship online. This simplifies the filing process, and you can also track the progress of the case.
- During the interview, you need to behave confidently, starting from meeting with the officer and ending with answering questions.
- Answers should be clear, not necessarily detailed.
- you must answer truthfully, even if the question is personal since service employees can find various data from external sources. It’s always best to say you don’t remember or to re-ask the question.
- It must be remembered that the officer is not obliged to ask exactly all the questions from the list of 100 questions from the civilian part of the test. Be prepared for the fact that the main test will be your knowledge of the language.
- If you are acquiring citizenship through a spouse, he or she may be present with you during the interview.