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Category - Citizenship

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Citizenship Interview Resources
Civics Practice Test (English) Tarjetas de Educación Cívica para el Examen de Naturalización (Tarjetas de Educación Cívica para el Examen de Naturalización) 100 Civics Questions and Answers (Spanish) (DOCX, 104.84 KB) 100 Preguntas y Respuestas de Educación Cívica Preparing for the Naturalization Test: A Pocket Study Guide (Spanish) Civics Practice Test (Spanish) Reading & Writing Test Writing Vocabulary Flash Cards for the Naturalization Test (PDF, 1014.08 KB) Easy-to-use flash cards containing vocabulary words to help study for the English writing portion of the naturalization test. Reading Test Vocabulary List for the Naturalization Test (PDF, 184.75 KB) Official list of vocabulary for the English reading portion of the naturalization test. Writing Test Vocabulary List for the Naturalization Test (PDF, 181.5 KB) Official list of vocabulary for the English writing portion of the naturalization test. Reading Test Vocabulary List for the Naturalization Test (large print) (PDF, 130.53 KB) Official list of vocabulary for the English reading portion of the naturalization test. Writing Test Vocabulary List for the Naturalization Test (large print) (PDF, 126.91 KB) Official list of vocabulary for the English writing portion of the naturalization test. Vocabulary for the Naturalization Interview: Self-Test 1 This reading activity has words and phrases that you may read on the Application for Naturalization, Form N-400, or hear during the naturalization interview. Teacher Guide (PDF, 130.88 KB) Vocabulary for the Naturalization Interview: Self-Test 2 This reading and listening activity has words and phrases that you may read on the Application for Naturalization, Form N-400, or hear during the naturalization interview. Teacher Guide (PDF, 133.38 KB)
How to Check Your Selective Service Registration
WHAT IS THE SELECTIVE SERVICE? The Military Selective Service Act requires that all men (including anyone whose gender was assigned as male on their birth certificate) living in the United States register with the Selective Service System (SSS) within 30 days of their 18th birthday. The SSS is used by the U.S. government in times of war to draft soldiers into service. While there are currently no plans to draft soldiers into the military, the U.S. government views the Selective Service as an important readiness tool in case there is a significant military conflict that requires more troops than have voluntarily joined the military. This law applies to all men living in the United States, including U.S. citizens, green card holders, people in valid immigration status, as well as anyone whose status has expired or is otherwise undocumented. Only men who are in the United States between the ages of 18 and 26 years old are required to register. ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS? Yes. First, if you entered the United States after the age of 26 or were not in the United States between ages 18 and 26, you do not need to register because you entered after the required age. Second, if you are in a valid non-immigrant status (such as a student visa) until the age of 26, you are seen as living here only temporarily because of the temporary nature of your visa and not required to register. Third, men born after March 29, 1957, and before December 31, 1959, are not required to register. SEE CHART OF WHO MUST REGISTER FOR SELECTIVE SERVICE HOW TO: CHECK YOUR SELECTIVE SERVICE REGISTRATION If you are a man – or were assigned the gender of male at birth – and you were in the United States between the ages of 18 and 26 years old, you should check yourSelective Service record to see if you registered. If you became a lawful permanent resident between the ages of 18 and 26, USCIS may have sent your information tothe SSS based on your permanent residence application, and you may have been registered that way. ONLINE: If you registered for the Selective Service with your Social Security number, you can verify your registration online at https://www.sss.gov/verify/. You will need to provide your last name, Social Security Number, and date of birth.If a record is found, you can download and print an official Selective Service Registration Acknowledgement Letter from the web site and include it with your application. BY PHONE: If you can’t verify your registration because you don’t or didn’t have a Social Security number at the time you filed, you will have to call the SSS at 888-655-1825. WHAT IF I WAS SUPPOSED TO REGISTER AND DIDN’T? If you have not or did not register and you are between the ages of 18 and 26, you should register immediately. If you are over the age of 26 but were in the United States between the ages of 18 and 26,and the failure to register was within the good moral character time period, you will have an opportunity to submit your statement and other evidence to USCIS showing that you did not knowingly or willfullyfail to register. USCIS may also require you to submit a Status Information Letter stating whether you were required to register. You can find this form online by visiting https://www.sss. gov/verify/sil/, which you will have to download, complete and mail to the address below: SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEMATTN: SILP.O. BOX 94638PALATINE, IL 60094-4638You can also call the SSS to request the Status Information Letter by phone at 847-688-6888. WHEN I REGISTERED FOR SELECTIVE SERVICE, I MAY HAVE USED A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN) THAT WAS NOT MY OWN. WHAT SHOULD I DO? You can update your Social Security number with the SSS by calling 1-847-688-6888 during business hours (9am to 5pm Eastern). Changes can take several weeks to complete, and the SSS will send you a new registration letter with the updated information. You can also write to the SSS and request the change: SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEMP.O. BOX 94638PALATINE, IL 60064-4638 WHAT ABOUT TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS? ACCORDING TO THE US GOVERNMENT (from SSA.gov): US citizens or immigrants who are born male and changed their gender to female are still required to register. Individuals who are born female and changed their gender to male are not required to register. OPM notes that “transgender” refers to people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from the sex assigned to them at birth (e.g. the sex listed on an original birth certificate). The OPM Guidance further explains that the term “transgender woman” is typically used to refer to someone who was assigned the male sex at birth but who identifies as a female. Likewise, OPM provides that the term “transgender man” typically is used to refer to someone who was assigned the female sex at birth but who identifies as male. > The legal authority is based on the Military Selective Service Act (MSSA), which does not addressgender identity or transgender persons. >Presidential Proclamation 4771 refers to “males” who were “born” on or after January 1, 1960. >Changes to the MSSA involving Selective Service registration requires Congressional action. It cannotbe changed through Presidential Proclamation or Executive Order. As such, the registrationrequirement remains based on the assigned gender at birth. NOTE: Transgender students are welcome to call us at 888-655-1825 regarding their registration requirements if they need a status information letter from Selective Service that clarifies whether or not they are exempt from the registration requirement. Individuals who have changed their gender to male will be asked to complete a Status Information Letter (SIL) request form and provide a copy of their birth certificate. Keep your original SIL and send copies to state-based financial aid institutions if needed. FUN FACT: THE SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM’S ANNUAL BUDGET IS $26,000,000.00 Learn more about the requirements for selective service registration from the government’s website.
N-400 FILING FEE, FEE WAIVER, OR FEE REDUCTION REQUEST
Standard Filing Fee: $760Standard Online Filing Fee: $710 Fee Waiver ($0)Applicants with household income below 150% Federal Poverty Guidelines, currently receive a means-tested benefit, or experiencing an extreme financial hardship Requesting Reduced Fee: Under the prior regulation, request for a reduced fee for naturalization had to be submitted on a separate Form I-942. That form is no longer used for a reduced fee request. As of April 1, 2024, the N-400 Application for Naturalization has been revised and includes a question in Part 10 which will initiate a request for fee reduction. Note that if an applicant is seeking a full fee waiver, then they should not also apply for a fee reduction. The fee waiver can be applied for with Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver. Means Tested Benefit: A naturalization applicant can demonstrate that they are unable to pay the required fee and are eligible to receive a full fee waiver if, at the time of filing, they are receiving a means-tested benefit. A means-tested benefit is a federal, state, locally or tribally funded benefit where the agency granting it considers income and resources in determining eligibility. The USCIS Policy Manual provides a nonexhaustive list of examples of such programs. Extreme financial hardship: The last basis on which a naturalization applicant can qualify for a full waiver is if they demonstrate extreme financial hardship, described by USCIS as “when a requester requires substantially all of their current income and liquid assets to meet current ordinary and necessary living expenses.” The requester should document the financial impact of the hardship in the 12 months prior to receipt of the fee waiver request. Some examples of such situations are listed in the USCIS Policy Manual, ranging from medical illness, unemployment, eviction, homelessness, natural disaster, military deployment of a spouse or parent, divorce or death of a spouse to “other situations that could not normally be expected in the regular course of life events that would limit a person’s ability to meet necessary living expenses.” PERSONS IN HOUSEHOLD INCOME 1 $15,060 2 $20,440 3 $25,820 4 $31,200 5 $36,580 Household Size. Calculate your household size to include Yourself and the following individuals that live with you: your spouse, your children or legal wards (who are unmarried and under 21 years of age), your parents, anyone who is properly listed as a dependent on your federal tax returns. If under 21 then your parent(s) are included. A spouse or child is not included in this calculation if they do not live with you. You may also include children ages 21-24 who are enrolled in school and live with you or adult sons or daughters who are unmarried and for whom you are the legal guardian because they are physically or developmentally disabled or mentally impaired to the extent that they cannot adequately care for themselves and cannot establish, maintain, or re-establish their own household. NOTE: Your household income includes the annual income of your household members. A request must also include any additional financial assistance (not otherwise included in a tax return or W-2) including any Social Security income (as reflected on the SSA-1099) to the adjusted gross income in the tax return. Federal Poverty Guidelines:  https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/ poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines 2024 Changes to N-400 Filing Fee Download More Info Fee Waivers Waiving the USCIS Filing Fees on Applications for Immigration Benefits LEARN MORE USCIS SITE
N-400, Application for Naturalization
Application for Naturalization for U.S. Citizenship Form:  N-400                  Online: Online application is available but not required Filing Fee: $640         Biometrics Fee: $85 biometrics fee  (Total Fee: $725) Do not send original documents unless specifically requested. TRANSLATIONS:   If you submit any documents (copies or original documents, if requested) in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation along with a certification from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that the translator is competent to translate from the foreign language to English. Required Documents For All Applicants: 🗹 A copy of your Permanent Resident Card (or copy of Form I-90 filing receipt if you lost your residentcard); 🗹 Photocopy of the applicant’s current legal marital status document, if applicable (e.g.; marriagecertificate, divorce, annulment decree, or death certificate of former spouse); 🗹 A money order payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security” for current filing fee and biometricfee ($725 as of September 2023). Applicants 75 years of age or older are exempted from the biometrics services fee. If you are applying for naturalization on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen, send the following 4 items: 🗹 1.  Evidence that your spouse has been a U.S. citizen for the last 3 years: a. Birth certificate (if your spouse never lost citizenship since birth); or b. Certificate of Naturalization; or c. Certificate of Citizenship; or d. The inside of the front cover and signature page of your spouse’s current U.S. passport; or e. Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America; and 🗹 2. Your current marriage certificate; and 🗹 3. Proof of termination of all prior marriages of your spouse (divorce decree(s), annulment(s), or deathcertificate(s)); and 🗹 4. Documents referring to you and your spouse: a. Tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages, or birth certificates of children; or b. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-certified copies of the income tax forms that you both filed for the past 3 years; or c. An IRS tax return transcript for the last 3 years. If You Are Outside the U.S.: 🗹 Two passport-style photographs If Applying Based on Military Service: 🗹 A copy of your official military orders; 🗹 DD Form 214, NGB Form 22, or discharge orders (if separated from service); 🗹 Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service; If You Are Applying Under INA 319(b): Evidence of your citizen spouse’s employment abroad (if applying under INA 319(b))
Preparing for Civics Examination for Naturalization
Prepare For Your Naturalization Interview The civics portion of the naturalization test is an oral test. The USCIS officer will ask you up to 10 questions from the list of 100 civics test questions. You must answer 6 questions correctly to pass the civics test. Naturalization Civics Test The Government’s weird study guide for the test that they call “A More Perfect Union.”  All 100 Civics Questions in English  All 100 questions in Spanish 100 Preguntas y Respuestas de Educación Cívica All 100 questions in Chinese100題公民問題和答案 *You will have to take the test in English unless you qualify for an exemption. (or the 65/20 special considerations which use these questions).  *You can apply for a medical disability exemption by filing this Form N-648 WITH your N-400 application.  Other Sites I’d note that these practice tests are easy to access and seem to be accurate from wheat I’ve seen, but, they are not from the official USCIS.gov website or any other U.S. Government agency or non-profit so be careful.  Take a practice civics test online to see if you are ready for your USCIS naturalization interview so you don’t delay getting U.S. citizenship. You can take several different citizenship practice tests here as well. 
USCIS Provides Policy Update Regarding Acquisition of Citizenship Provisions
July 18, 2024, USCIS published a Policy Alert (PA-2024-21), with information about changes made to the USCIS Policy Manual in regards to the agency’s interpretation of Acquired Citizenship provisions for children. HIGHLIGHTS Summary of Changes Affected Section: Volume 12 > Part H > Chapter 1, Purpose and Background SOURCE: Volume 12: Citizenship and Naturalization, Part H, Children of U.S. Citizens [12 USCIS-PM H] (Chapters 1-6).