One of the most angst-producing events in a hopeful immigrant’s life can be the citizenship test they have to undergo through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services department.
It’s a “make-or-break” moment for many immigrants who hope to convert their immigration status and become permanent, naturalized citizens of this country.
The test recently got harder — but is about to get easier again
Back in Nov. 2020, the government announced that it was instituting a revised citizenship test that was both harder and more complicated than the one that had been in use since 2008.
Essentially, the Trump Administration increased the questions immigrants had to study from 100 to 128. Plus, the number of questions an immigrant was asked was doubled from 10 to 20, and immigrants would have to answer a minimum of 12 correctly (up from six) to pass.
On Feb. 22, 2021, the Biden Administration reversed course. The old test will be put back into use. Further, immigrants who filed their naturalization applications between Dec. 1, 2020, and Mar. 1 of this year will have the option to take whichever test they prefer — although all immigrants who go through naturalization interviews after Apr. 19 will use the 2008 exam.
If you’re an immigrant, don’t breathe too big of a sigh of relief just yet, however.
There are still some amazingly complex issues surrounding immigration which are being debated in the U.S. Furthermore, many different factions are in play. While things do seem to be on the upswing for hopeful immigrants, this recent change is just an example of how fast everything can change in this sector of the law.
Working with a qualified Los Angeles attorney who understands your immigration concerns is wise.