Effective Oct 14th, 2008 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is revising its Direct Mail Program so that certain filings of Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, will now be filed at a designated lockbox facility instead of a USCIS Service Center. However, if you are the spouse of an active member of the Armed Forces, this notice instructs you now to file your Form N-400 at the Nebraska Service Center (NSC), whether you are filing from within the U.S. or abroad.
This notice does not change the filing location for Forms N-400 filed by active members or certain veterans of the Armed Forces who are eligible to apply for naturalization under sections 328 or 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (the Act). (more…)
EDMONTON – For Christine Tyrrell, Tuesday was supposed to be the beginning of her “new life.”
The 30-year-old was to fly from Edmonton to Houston, where she was to marry her Texan fiance on Sept. 20. As Tyrrell excitedly approached the customs gate at Edmonton International Airport, her only worry was her satin wedding dress might be too big for a carry-on.
The customs officer had no problem with Tyrrell’s dress but he wouldn’t let her board her plane. Nearly six hours later, Tyrrell found herself driving home to Beaumont instead of flying towards the altar.
“I was supposed to have a fiance visa,” she said. “Because I didn’t have the paperwork or what not, it was recommended that they withdraw my application to enter the States.”
Tyrrell’s fiance Joe Marks had already consulted with U.S. immigration officials however, and they advised him not to get a fiance visa. He said he was given two options: either get a fiance visa or marry in the U.S. and then deal with the paperwork later.
At least two officials recommended the latter option, Marks said.
“They said that would be the easiest way to do it because we’d be circumventing the fiance visa,” Marks said. “They said it would be no problem. Obviously, we were under the impression that we were doing the right thing.” (more…)
In the interest of creating a more standardized, fair, and meaningful naturalization process, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently completed a multi-year redesign of the naturalization test. The revised test, with an emphasis on the fundamental concepts of American democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, will help encourage citizenship applicants to learn and identify with the basic values we all share as Americans.
Redesign Process The major aim of the redesign process is to ensure that naturalization applicants have uniform, consistent testing experiences nationwide, and that the civics test can effectively assess whether applicants have a meaningful understanding of U.S. government and history. Following a basic U.S. history and civics curriculum, the redesigned test will serve as an important instrument to encourage civic learning and patriotism among prospective citizens.
To accomplish these goals, USCIS initially piloted a new test–with an overhauled English reading and writing section, as well as new history and government questions–in ten sites across the country. The feedback from this pilot was then used to finalize testing procedures, English reading and writing prompts, and a list of 100 new history and government questions. To ensure the pilot accounted for a representative sample of candidates with a variety of education levels, the test was also piloted at adult education sites nationwide.
The resulting redesigned test was publicly introduced on September 27, 2007. Naturalization applicants will begin taking the revised test on October 1, 2008.
Which Test Do I Take?
USCIS will begin administering the redesigned (new) naturalization test on October 1, 2008. Use the chart below to determine if you will take the current or redesigned (new) test.
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