The long road to citizenship

July 28, 2008 by Krista Gilbertson 

Many people – especially those who are born in the U.S. – are not familiar with the process required to become a U.S. citizen.

Today, immigration is an important issue on many political agendas. Basic knowledge of the process can be helpful in understanding the circumstances.

Gil Kahn, a UNLV economics and finance major, received his official citizenship on July 14 and is, consequently, very familiar with the process of acquiring citizenship.

“A lot of people simply don’t understand the process,” Kahn said.

“The magnitude and depth [of the application process] deters a lot of people” from applying for citizenship.

Every U.S. resident who wants to become a citizen has to first fill out an application (after already having gone through the application for a green card and residing in the country for five years.)

In addition to asking for a resident’s marriage, family and employment history (the usual), the application also asks for communism and terrorism history (the unusual).

Residents are asked if they ever affiliated with the Communist Party, engaged in acts of terrorism, or committed a crime of which they weren’t convicted.

After prying into personal lives, the application picks through finances.

Unless applicants demonstrate an “inability to pay,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services government Web site, they must send a $595 with their application.

Some may also opt to hire an immigration attorney.

For a $500 fee, an attorney helps keep track of paperwork sent to and from the immigration office to keep the process on schedule.

“Paying $500 upfront gives you peace of mind,” Kahn said, acknowledging having an attorney was worth the extra cost.

The applicant must then wait a few months to hear from immigration services, and then, if accepted, attend a scheduled interview with an immigration officer.

The applicant must also take a test that covers English and U.S. history. Once the test applicant passes and does well in the interview, the applicant will find out when the date is set for his naturalization ceremony.

Kahn, who expected his ceremony to be small with only around 100 candidates receiving their citizenship, was surprised to be a part of a ceremony including more than 1,000 candidates.

“It was a little more moving than [what I expected],” Kahn said. “So many different people coming to the same place with the same desire” – to become U.S. citizens.

Quoting a favorite line from a movie about America’s history shown at the ceremony, Kahn said, “Every U.S. citizen makes ‘We the People’ a stronger entity.”

While reasons for desiring U.S. citizenship vary between every individual who applies, Kahn wanted his citizenship in order to have input in political matters.

Born in Haifa, Israel, Kahn moved to the U.S. as a toddler, and has grown up aspiring to work in government one day.

“As a politically active individual, it’s important to have a voice equal to everyone else’s,” Kahn said. “My vote is the strongest part of my voice.”

While the USCIS estimates an application for U.S. citizenship only takes six to nine months to process, it can take seven to eight years for a foreigner to acquire his citizenship.

Timely, costly, and unknown to many, the process of becoming a U.S. citizen can be daunting, and when completed, a reason to celebrate.