By the time she arrived in the United States, Nashmeen had met many Americans and studied from American books. Still, she had to learn to live on her own at her university in Boston and didn’t always understand the local humor or why nickels were larger than dimes. Despite those small changes, she found Americans to be welcoming and the transition to be an easy one.

Labels: Citizenship

You can view a new public service announcement for the initiative below.



Advertisements will run through September 5, 2011, in the first phase of a planned multiyear effort. USCIS will also increase in-person naturalization outreach efforts to bolster the initiative.

To learn more about the Citizenship Public Education and Awareness Initiative and how organizations can support the effort, visit www.uscis.gov/citizenshipawareness.

Labels: Citizenship

As many of you know, we at USCIS are reviewing our policies and practices to ensure our careful and thoughtful administration of our nation’s immigration laws. A hallmark of our review is our engagement with you; your ideas and comments inform our decisions as we strive to implement the best ideas.

Through our review, your input and other analysis, we have identified needed improvements to a wide array of policies and practices. Some of these improvements have been implemented and many are to follow. We look forward to your feedback as we make continued progress on these improvements.

As part of our broad review, and echoing President Obama’s call to promote immigrants’ entrepreneurial spirit, we have focused on the Immigrant Investor Program, commonly referred to as the EB-5 Program. It is a program designed to attract investors and entrepreneurs from around the world to create jobs in America. In the two decades since its creation, the EB-5 Program has never met the annual cap of 10,000 visas. 

The EB-5 Program often involves complex applications and sophisticated business projects that require prompt attention and expert review in order to achieve their potential. Our focus on this program, and the input you have provided, has led us to propose a series of significant improvements to it. These changes include an accelerated adjudications process, with premium processing; the creation of specialized intake teams to handle the Form I-924 applications, coupled with the applicants’ ability to communicate directly with the specialized intake teams via email; and, the creation of an expert Decision Board to render decisions on the Form I-924 applications and to afford applicants with an in-person or telephonic interview to resolve issues.

Our proposal for the improvement of the EB-5 Program is available here. In keeping with our commitment to soliciting your ideas and input, we have posted the proposal for public comment. We will accept your comments at opefeedback@uscis.dhs.gov for 20 business days, until June 17, 2011.

We recognize the importance of the EB-5 Program and its goal of creating jobs. We recognize the importance of all of our policies and practices in realizing the goals of our nation’s immigration system. Thank you for working with us in service of those goals.

Alejandro N. Mayorkas
Director

Labels: Director's Posts

• A start-up guide for organizations who want to expand ESL, civics, and citizenship education
• Suggestions on how to use the toolkit in your community
• A short film about the naturalization process and test
• Civics Flash Cards, multimedia study tools, and much more

Labels: Citizenship

When it comes to searches on our USCIS website, no single item is more sought after than the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. That’s no surprise, since 7.5 million employers in the United States use Form I-9 every time they hire an employee.

In an effort to make information on this critical form more accessible, USCIS just launched a new online resource center known as “I-9 Central.” This center will consist of Web pages designed to give employers and employees easy access to resources, tips and guidance they need to successfully complete the form. 

For more, please visit the new site, and let us know what you think in our comments section.

Labels: e-verify

The Citizenship and Integration Grant Program, which provides support for local citizenship preparation services, was a central topic of discussion. The Director and Minister Friedrich discussed challenges faced by both nations in better integrating new citizens, and agreed that effective integration efforts are vital to both nations. Minister Friedrich viewed the Grant Program as evidence of the importance of local efforts to promote integration, pointing out that successful efforts could not simply be decreed from "Washington or Berlin."

The meeting concluded with Director Mayorkas presenting Minister Friedrich a bound copy of "The Citizen’s Almanac," a book provided to new citizens upon naturalization.

Labels: Citizenship, Director's Posts

Are you or someone you know wondering what is required to become a US citizen? Are you considering naturalization? If you are, you should know that USCIS has a wealth of resources to guide you through the process.

Are You Eligible?

First, you will need to determine if you are eligible to apply for citizenship. USCIS offers a Naturalization Requirements information sheet that explains the requirements for citizenship and a Naturalization Eligibility Worksheet.

It is important that you confirm your eligibility before you apply, as USCIS will not refund your application and biometric fees if your application is denied.

Applying

Once you’ve determined you are eligible to apply, you will need to complete and file a Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.

To guide you as you apply, USCIS provides a short “How Do I?” guide on how to apply for citizenship and a more extensive Guide to Naturalization.

Be sure to read the form instructions and completely fill out and sign your form before you mail it. USCIS also offers filing tips to help you avoid common mistakes.

Preparing for the Interview and Test

The USCIS Citizenship Resource Center provides a wide variety of materials to help you prepare for the interview and naturalization test including study materials for both the English and civics portions of the test.

In addition, USCIS has posted a YouTube video about the interview and test:



Oath Ceremony

Labels: Citizenship