U.S. citizenship applications are backlogged, prolonging the wait for civil and voting right

Source: Salon




The backlog in naturalization applications has ballooned to more than 700,000

Ming Hsu Chen October 1, 2019 8:00AM (UTC)


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In a study published on Sept. 12, the Colorado Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, of which I am a member, found the backlog in naturalization applications has ballooned and wait times have doubled in the last three years.

Path to citizenship

Before someone can become a citizen, he or she must spend at least a decade legally inside the U.S. After obtaining a visa to enter the U.S., he or she will spend five years or more waiting to become eligible for a green card that establishes legal permanent residence. Then there is another five-year wait to become eligible for naturalized citizenship.
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The next steps in the application process take time: a 20-page form called the N-400, a US$725 filing fee, a biometric screening to authenticate identity and an interview with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service to demonstrate knowledge of U.S. civics and proficiency in English, plus possible requests for more evidence...............................................

Read more: https://www.salon.com/2019/10/01/u-s-citizenship-applications-are-backlogged-prolonging-the-wait-for-civil-and-voting-right_partner/