STREET. PAUL, Minn. — The U.S. citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates fear the changes will hurt test takers with lower levels of English proficiency.
The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship, a months-long process that requires lawful permanent residence for years before applying.
Many are still in shock after the administration of former Republican President Donald Trump changed the test in 2020, making it longer and more difficult pass. Within months, Democratic President Joe Biden took office and signed an executive order aimed at removing barriers to citizenship. In that spirit, the citizenship test was changed revert to its previous version, which was last updated in 2008.
In December, US authorities said the test needed to be updated after 15 years. The new version is expected by the end of next year.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services is proposing that the new test add an oral section to assess English skills. An officer would show photos of ordinary settings, such as daily activities, weather, or food, and ask the applicant to verbally describe the photos.
In the actual test, an officer assesses speaking ability during the naturalization interview by asking personal questions that the applicant has already answered on the naturalization paperwork.
“For me, I think it would be more difficult to look at pictures and explain them,” said Heaven Mehreta, who immigrated from Ethiopia 10 years ago, passed the naturalization test in May and became a US citizen in Minnesota in June.
Mehreta, 32, said she learned English as an adult after moving to the US and found pronunciation very difficult. She worries that adding a new photo-based speaking section, instead of personal questions, will make the test more difficult for others like her.
Shai Avny, who immigrated from Israel five years ago and became a US citizen last year, said the new speaking section could also add to the stress applicants already feel during the test.
“Sitting next to someone from the federal government, it can be intimidating to talk and talk to them. Some people have this fear anyway. When it’s not your first language, it can be even more difficult. You may be nervous and can’t find the words to tell them what you need to describe,” Avny said. “It is a test that will determine if you are going to be a citizen. So there’s a lot to lose.»
Another proposed change would make the civics section on US history and government multiple-choice instead of the current short-answer oral format.
Bill Bliss, author of citizenship textbooks in Massachusetts, gave an example in a blog post of how the test would become more difficult because it would require a larger knowledge base.
A current civics question has an officer ask the applicant to name a war the US fought in the 20th century. The applicant only needs to say one of five acceptable responses (World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, or Gulf War) to correctly answer the question.
But in the proposed multiple choice format, the applicant would read that question and select the correct answer from the following options:
A. Civil War
B. Mexican-American War
C. Korean War
D. Spanish-American War
An applicant must know all five wars the US fought in the 1900s to select the single correct answer, Bliss said, and that requires a «significantly higher level of language proficiency and test-taking ability.»
Currently, the applicant must correctly answer six out of 10 civics questions to pass. Those 10 questions are selected from a bank of 100 civics questions. The applicant is not told which questions will be selected, but can view and study all 100 questions before taking the exam.
Lynne Weintraub, citizenship coordinator at the Jones Library’s Center for English as a Second Language in Massachusetts, said the proposed format for the civics section could make the citizenship test more difficult for people struggling with literacy. in English. That includes refugees, older immigrants, and people with disabilities that interfere with their test performance.
“We have a lot of students who are refugees and come from war-torn countries where they may not have had the opportunity to complete school or even go to school,” said Mechelle Perrott, San Diego citizenship coordinator. California Community College District College of Continuing Education.
“It is more difficult to learn to read and write if you don’t know how to do it in your first language. That’s my main concern about the multiple choice exam; it’s a lot of reading,” Perrott said.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a december announcement that the proposed changes “reflect current best practice in test design” and would help standardize the citizenship test.
Under federal law, most applicants for citizenship must demonstrate an understanding of the English language, including the ability to speak, read, and write commonly used words, and demonstrate knowledge of US history and government.
The agency said it will conduct a nationwide test of the proposed changes in 2023 with opportunities for public comment. An outside group of experts, in the fields of language acquisition, civics and test development, will then review the test results and recommend ways to better implement the proposed changes, which could go into effect late next year.
The US currently has the easiest citizenship test compared to other Western countries, including Germany, Canada and the UK, according to Sara Goodman, a professor of political science at the University of California, Irvine.
Goodman said he uses the following metrics to determine the difficulty of a test: the number of questions required to pass and the number of questions overall, the percentage of applicants who passed the test, the language level of the test, and whether the questions or not. with answers are available to study before taking the test.
On the US test, applicants must answer six out of 10 questions correctly to pass. About 96% of applicants pass the test, according to recent estimates. The test is at a «high beginner» level of English, Goodman said, and a bank of questions with answers is available to study beforehand.
But on the German test, Goodman said applicants must answer 17 of the 33 questions correctly to pass. About 90% of applicants pass the test, according to recent estimates. The test is at an «intermediate» level of German, according to Goodman. And a bank of questions with answers is made available.
The Canadian and UK tests are even more difficult, and the UK doesn’t provide a question bank, Goodman said.
Elizabeth Jacobs, director of policy and regulatory affairs at the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit research organization that advocates for less immigration, said the proposed changes would make testing US citizenship even easier for many people. .
“We think it’s going in the wrong direction,” Jacobs said on behalf of the organization.
The proposed multiple-choice format for the civics section would put the answer to each question in front of applicants, Jacobs said, and remove the memory challenge found on the current test.
Jacobs said his organization would prefer a test that includes more material and emphasizes more American values, such as religious freedom and free speech.
He added that most people who naturalize in the US are not in the country on merit or refugee status, but rather through family sponsorship, where someone in their family became a US citizen before them and applied to be will naturalize
Jacobs said having a stricter test would help ensure that new citizens integrate into American society, and the economy, with sufficient English language skills, as well as promote a healthy democracy with civic awareness and engagement.
Not everyone agrees.
“Is it important for us to have a civics test in the first place? I don’t know the answer to that question,” said Corleen Smith, director of immigration services at the Minnesota International Institute, a nonprofit that connects immigrants with resources.
Smith said USCIS already assesses whether applicants have a criminal record, pay taxes and financially support their children.
They’re already evaluating that part of your background. Is it also important to know this information about history and government and to be able to memorize it?” Smith said, adding: «People who were born in the US and are natural born citizens, a lot of those people don’t know a lot of these answers to questions about the history of government.»
More than 1 million people became U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2022, one of the highest numbers on record since 1907, the first year for which data is available, and USCIS reduced the huge backlog of naturalization applications by more than 60% in compared to the previous year, according to a USCIS report also released in December.