The Biden administration has introduced to dispose of the stringent Trump-era citizenship take a look at and revert to the better 2008 model, making the US naturalisation course of extra accessible to all eligible people.
The new course of comes into impact on March 1, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) mentioned in a press launch on Monday.
On December 1 final yr, USCIS carried out a revised naturalisation civics take a look at, referred to as the 2020 civics take a look at, as a part of a decennial take a look at assessment and replace course of.
The civics take a look at is run to candidates who apply for US citizenship by means of naturalisation and is among the statutory necessities for naturalising.
Applicants should show a information and understanding of the basics of the historical past, rules, and type of authorities of the United States.
The earlier Trump administration had launched some modifications to the 2020 civics take a look at. It elevated the variety of questions from 100 to 128 and the proper solutions within the multiple-choice questions had political and ideological overtones.
Announcing the reversal of the Trump coverage, USCIS mentioned the 2020 civics take a look at growth course of, content material, testing procedures, and implementation schedule “may inadvertently create potential barriers to the naturalization process”.
“This action is consistent with the framework of the Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems, which directs a comprehensive review of the naturalization process to eliminate barriers and make the process more accessible to all eligible individuals,” it mentioned.
The federal company asserted that the 2008 civics take a look at was “thoroughly developed over a multi-year period with the input of more than 150 organisations, which included English as a second language experts, educators, and historians, and was piloted before its implementation”.
USCIS aspires to make the method as accessible as potential as directed by President Joe Biden’s request to assessment the method totally, it mentioned.
The choice to naturalise demonstrates an funding in and dedication to US, USCIS mentioned, including that it’s dedicated to administering a take a look at that’s an instrument of civic studying and fosters civic integration as a part of the take a look at preparation course of.
“Applicants who filed their application for naturalisation on or after December 1, 2020, and before March 1, 2021, likely have been studying for the 2020 test; therefore, USCIS will give these applicants the option to take either the 2020 civics test or the 2008 civics test,” it mentioned.
“There will be a transition period where both tests are being offered. The 2020 test will be phased out on April 19, 2021, for initial test takers. Applicants filing on or after March 1, 2021, will take the 2008 civics test,” USCIS mentioned.
