New civics test for US citizenship begins today.
From October 20, Green Card holders will have to face a toughrer path to US citizenship as a new civic test comes into effect. Earlier, the aspirants had to study 100 questions to answer 6 questions out of 10 correctly. From today onwards, they will have to study 128 questions instead of 100 and answer 12 out of 20 correctly. Officers will stop asking questions when an alien answers 12 questions correctly, or 9 questions incorrectly. Applicants aged 65 and older who have been legal permanent residents for at least 20 years will take a modified version of the test. This version includes 10 questions randomly chosen from a bank of 20.
Why new civics test for Green Card holders
A Green Card holder in the US is an alien who is a permanent resident but not a US citizen. To become naturalized citizens, they have to take this test. “American citizenship is the most sacred citizenship in the world and should only be reserved for aliens who will fully embrace our values and principles as a nation. By ensuring only those aliens who meet all eligibility requirements, including the ability to read, write, and speak English and understand U.S. government and civics, are able to naturalize, the American people can be assured that those joining us as fellow citizens are fully assimilated and will contribute to America’s greatness. These critical changes are the first of many,” said USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser.
Moral character assessment
The latest change in the text also includes a holistic assessment of an alien’s moral character which is not limited to a cursory scrutiny of whether they have been involved in any wrongdoing. The new moral character assessment will take a holistic look on an alien’s behavior, adherence to social norms, and positive contributions that affirmatively demonstrae good moral character. Community involvement, family caregiving, educational attainment, stable and lawful employment history, length of lawful residency in the U.S. and compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility will also be checked.
