The United States citizenship test is undergoing revisions, raising concerns among immigrants and advocates who fear that the changes will disadvantage individuals with lower levels of English proficiency.
The naturalization test represents one of the final stages in the path to citizenship, a process that typically involves several years of legal permanent residency before becoming eligible to apply. The previous alteration to the test occurred during the administration of former Republican President Donald Trump in 2020, when it was made lengthier and more challenging to pass.
However, shortly after Democratic President Joe Biden assumed office, he signed an executive order with the aim of removing barriers to citizenship. As part of this effort, the citizenship test was reverted to its previous version, last updated in 2008.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has put forward a proposal for the new test, which includes the addition of a speaking section to evaluate English language skills. In this section, an immigration officer would present photographs depicting ordinary situations, and ask the applicant to verbally describe the content of the images.
A professor from California has also said that “The citizenship Test in USA is easier than most of the other western Countries”. The record-breaking number of people who became US citizen in the last fiscal year may be the cause for this modification in the examination.