Us Citizenship Test Rules

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Are you aware of the test rules that are needed for the US citizenship? Hopefully, you might be aware of such rules but still there are many people who do not have any knowledge of test rules needed for the US citizenship. To get a citizenship of US, an applicant usually needs to qualify the US citizenship test that comprises of two major phases viz. English and Civics test. You might be wondering that what these tests are? Well! These tests are the qualifying test for US citizenship in which applicants are needed to answer the questions based on the US history and constitutional policies.

English Test for US citizenship

A person who demands to have a citizenship of US first needs to file Form N-400 which is meant for this purpose only. After filing this form, applicant is to require undertaking interview where questions related to English Civics of US are asked by an immigration officer. In the English test, an applicant is generally asked to read any one sentence out of three given sentences and that sentence must be written by him or her correctly to qualify English test successfully. Applicants are advised to go through different educational DVD’s and other relevant USCIS resources available on the web in order to successfully qualify English test for USCIS.

What about Civics test?

After the completion of English Test, applicant have to take civics test in which the questions related to the historical background of US country, questions related to governmental polices and certain laws were asked by immigration officer during the interview. Immigration officer usually asks ten questions related to this subject to the candidate and out of those 10 questions, USCIS applicant needs to answer 6 questions correctly so as to qualify this exam. To qualify this exam also, applicant can make use of online USCIS resources and educational DVD’s that proves to be really effective to make an applicant of USCIS somehow familiar with the pattern of test.

In this manner, one can easily get a USCIS by reading the study material available on web because normally the question on such exam comes from that study material only.

U.S Citizenship Test Requirements

To become a U.S. citizen, individuals have to pass the naturalization test. Naturalization is the process by which United States citizenship is granted to an individuals or foreign citizens after they fulfill the requirements given in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

These are as follows:-

Individual must be 18 years of age or more and should be of good character.

Individual have been a legal resident for the past 5 years

Individual have been married to the U.S citizen and living with the same spouse for the past 3 year.

Individual should be present in the U.S. for about 30 months of the 5 years or 18 months of the 3 years if spouse is a U.S citizen, with no absence more than 6 months.

Individual must have resided in the state for at least 3 months where the petition was filled.

Individual has resided within the United States continuously from the date the petition was filled to the date of citizenship.

Individual should have a basic knowledge of reading and writing English and fundamental knowledge of the U.S history & government.

There are some exceptions to the general naturalization requirements if individual meet specific criteria. These exceptions are for the individuals who are:- employed in U.S armed forces or selected overseas careers, above the age of fifty, people with physical disabilities, and for those married to US citizens.

If individuals meet the requirements, then they have to prepare for the naturalization test. Application for Naturalization (form N-400) should be submitted to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). After submitting the application form and being finger-printed, they have to arrange an appointment for an interview. In an interview, they will be questioned and several tests will be administered by USCIS officers about their application and background, an applicant’s verbal skills are determined by their answers. To determine their ability to read and write in English, the applicants must read at least one out of 3 sentences correctly, and write 1 sentence correctly. They also check knowledge of U.S government and history and the applicant’s must answer correctly 6 out of 10 questions.

U.S Citizenship Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for the United States citizenship, one must spend at least 5 years in the U.S as a legal permanent resident, during which he or she did not take any abroad trips of more than 6 months and resided in the United states for about two and half years of the entire period. Other factors such as birth, marriage to a U.S citizen and employment affect citizenship eligibility criteria.

To qualify for U.S citizenship, following conditions must satisfy:-

Person should be 18 years of age or elder.

Person should be legal permanent resident of the United States for at least 5 years

Person should be of good moral character during the period of residence.

Person can obtain permanent residence after marriage to a U.S citizen. They are eligible for citizenship after 3 years of marriage and couple should live together during that period.

Person should be present in U.S. for at least half of the five years or half of the three years if spouse is a U.S citizen, with no abroad trips longer than 6 months.

Person should have domiciled in the state for about 3 months where the petition was filled.

Person must have domiciled continuously within U.S. from the petition date to the period of citizenship.

Person should have an elementary knowledge of reading and writing English. This rule is exceptional for 50 years people living for 20 years or more in U.S as a permanent resident and for 55 years people living in U.S for 15 years as permanent resident.

Person should have a basic fundamental knowledge of the U.S history & government. This rule is waived for 65 years people living for 20 years as permanent resident.

Person born in the United States are citizens whether the parents are green card holders, tourists, students or illegal immigrants.

A child born outside the country may acquire U.S citizenship at birth when one or both parents are U.S citizens.

A child born outside the country may become U.S citizen, if his or her parents gets citizenship through naturalization.

To obtain citizenship through naturalization, application for Naturalization (form N-400) should be submit to the USCIS.

US Citizenship Online Test

Do you want to have US citizenship but are unable to qualify the exam for USCIS because of lack of knowledge about the question that are asked by immigration officer during the interview? Well! Getting a citizenship seems to be a bit challenging task for the nonresident applicant of US because he or she is not familiar with the historical background and governmental laws as well as policies of US country. In exams of USCIS, an interviewer usually puts great stress on the common civilian questions related to these subjects. Therefore, it is very necessary to first gather brief but requisite knowledge about US history, its constitution, its law and policies to qualify USCIS which can be gained through online practice test for US citizenship.

Topics covered in USCIS online test

In an online test of USCIS, applicant is given questions related to above mentioned subject in multiple choice question and he or she needs to mark correct answer on the basis of his or her knowledge about US fellowship. Some of the major topics which are usually asked in every USCIS qualifying examination are Supreme law of US, meaning of US constitution, meaning of amendment, name given to first ten amendment of US, Rule of law for the US citizens, total number of amendments, rights given to the citizens, political parties of US and their part as well as role in US constitution etc. Apart from these questions, applicants are also asked about the serving period of US President, reason for having 13 stripes in US national flag and major wars that had been fought earlier by US army for its superiority.

Benefits of Online USCIS test

In an online US citizenship test, many times an applicant is asked with the question related to the voting rights given to a US citizen. Question like "who has the right to vote as per the constitutional amendment of US?" and question related to racism is also sometimes asked by an immigration officer during the interview for USCIS to the applicant so as to judge his or her eligibility for US citizenship. Online practice do covers all these topics with relevant information that is very helpful for qualifying USCIS exam.

How to Apply U.S Citizenship?

After ascertaining the eligibility requirements for the United States citizenship, individual need to file Application for Naturalization (Form N-400). Following steps are required:-

Collect the necessary documents and complete the application: - The form should be filled correctly and completely, otherwise the application may be delayed or denied, and individual have to proceed with an appeal.

Get Photographed:-Have two passport-style photographs within 30 days of filling out the application at a site that is familiar with the specific requirements. Photo should be colored and the individual face should be clearly visible. Individual should write his or her name and number with pencil on the back of the photo.

Mail the application to the USCIS Service center or Lockbox facility:- Include the following with the application:- Photos, a copy of individual permanent resident card, other documents, if necessary according to individual circumstances and the required application fee.

Get Fingerprinted:- When the USCIS receives the application, individuals then asked to come to a specific location for giving fingerprints. Their fingerprints will then be sent to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), to check the criminal background. If fingerprints are rejected, they need to provide more information to the USCIS. If fingerprints are accepted, individuals will receive a mail telling them when and where the interview will be held.

Interview:- During the interview, individuals will be asked questions with regard to their application, background, character and willingness to take the Oath of loyalty to the united states. The interview process also includes:- an English test to determine their speaking, reading and writing skills & a civics test to determine their knowledge of U.S government and history.

Receive a decision:- After the interview, individual will receive a Form N-652 that gives the information about the results of the interview. Based on the information given to USCIS, naturalization will be granted, continued or denied.

Take the oath and become a U.S citizen:- If naturalization is granted, individual are invited to complete naturalization process by taking the Oath of Allegiance. Once the individual have taken the Oath, they will receive the Certificate of Naturalization..

What Documents Do You Need For US Citizenship?

If you want to apply for the US citizenship but not have any idea about the documents needed to apply for USCIS then you must read this article as here information about all the major documents are given which are specially needed for the US citizenship. The most important documents that are needed to be submitted by an applicant for USCIS are as follows:-

Appointment letter for interview:- This is the most important document which is required to be shown to the security guard before appearing for the interview. Absence of such letter is considered as non eligibility of an applicant for US citizenship. This letter is usually issued by INS office and needed to be shown on demand by INS officers and security guard. However, if an applicant is asked to appear for an interview via telephone then such appointment letter is not needed to be shown to anyone before attending interview.

Driving License and Passport:- An immigration officer during the interview for USCIS definitely asks for a valid driving license of an applicant in order to verify his or her living place in the jurisdiction. Driving license also works as an identity proof of an applicant and also verifies his current address to some extent for residential verification. On the other hand, passports are also demanded by an immigration officer from an applicant of USCIS so that they can determine the continuous presence of an applicant in the country. In fact, xerox copy of passports must be given as an identity proof to an interviewer because this document signifies and verifies his or her nationality completely.

Last 5 years Tax Returns:- Tax returns of last 5 years are needed to be shown by an applicant because it is generally asked by every immigration officer during USCIS interview. Such transcripts clarify the doubts about the authentication of any applicant.

Marriage/Divorce certificate (if applicable):- To apply for US citizenship, an applicant also needs to file his or her marriage certificate during the interview for USCIS. If you’re a divorcee then you must file your divorce certificate while appearing for USCIS interview because officers retain all the rights to ask for such documents.

US Citizenship Application Fees

For filing US citizenship you need to apply form N-400. The filing fees for form N-400 is $595. An additional fee of $85 is required for biometric services. About biometrics, USCIS notifies the place and date after you have filled the application. Certain categories of people are exempted from the biometric fees. These are:

Applicants who are 75 years of age or older

Individuals who require fingerprinting and who reside outside United States at the time of filing an application for immigration

Applicants who are under military provisions and applying for citizenship are exempted from form filing fees as well as biometric fees.

The application fees needs to be submitted at the time of applying form N-400. Fess includes both the form fees as well as the biometric fees. Thus, you need to single check or money order of $680 ($595 filling fees + $85 biometric fees).

Here are the guidelines which you need to follow while preparing your check or money order.

Check must be drawn from United States bank and must hold the United States currency.

Check or money order should be payable to U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

If you are making payment by check, it will be converted to electronic funds transfer at USCIS office. This means that they will use the account information on check to electronically debt the amount from your bank account. After successful transaction, they will not give you back the original check instead they will destroy it and keep the copy of your check with them.

While filing the form you need to make sure that it is accompanied it with correct fees. If it is not, USICS will reject your form and return the fees with a reason why your form is rejected. Thereafter, you can reapply the form with correct fees.

USCIS changes fees periodically so it is required that you should verify the correct fees on their website before applying. For this you can check forms column on www.uscis.gov website or you may call USCIS customer center for fees information at 1-800-375-5283.

US Citizenship Application Forms and Appeals

When you meet all the requirements to U.S. citizen, you need to file an application at USCIS office. The form N-400 is required for filing U.S. citizenship. Before applying this form you should read all the requirements and procedure of filing application. For this, you can read A Guide to Naturalization on USCIS website www.usics.gov. You can also call USICS National customer center at 1-800-375-5283. Certain applications require English and civics testing based on age and length of their resident in United States. You need to check eligibility and requirements for filing form N-400 carefully.

Form N-400 should be filled in black ink. You need to answer all questions. If an item is not applicable to you write N/A. Go through step by step instruction for filing the form at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/n-400instr.pdf. This will help you to fill the form correctly and accurately. After completing the application form, accompany it with required documents and application fees and mail to appropriate USCIS office. The filing fees of form N-400 is $680 ($595 filling fees + $85 biometric fees, wherever applicable).

Filing Notice of Appeal

If by any reason your application for U.S. Citizenship gets rejected, you can file a motion to reopen your case. For reopening your case in USICS office you need to fill form I-290B. The filing fee for this form is $630. The application along with required documents and application fees needs to be submitted at desired filing address. Make sure you complete all the fields in the form correctly and accurately. To ensure that your form is accepted you need to complete and sign the form. To avoid rejection, go through step by step information to file form at http://www.niwus.com/files/Form_I290B.pdf. Regardless of the action taken by USICS on your application, your fees will not be refunded. Also, you will be notified of any decision taken on your appeal. If you change your address during the period of filing an appeal, make sure you send written application to USICS office stating the change of your address. You can take help of USCIS customer center anytime.

How to Prepare For US Citizenship Test

No matter what they say about the condition of the US economy, the USA is still one of the most coveted destinations for immigration around the world. And immigration to US involves a lengthy procedure that also includes the testing of the applicant on his knowledge about the various aspects of US civics and governance and of course, his skill in English.

The format

The US citizenship test consists of an oral test where you are asked a total of 10 questions from a list of 100. The applicant is expected to get a minimum of 6 of them correct to be considered eligible for US citizenship. Hence, it’s mandatory that you study all the 100 questions as the questions can come from anywhere in the list. The questions would be asked by an official of the United Sates Citizenship and Immigration Service or the USCIS.

The purpose

Well, naturally when you are planning to make a country your permanent home, you are expected to have some idea about it. The citizenship test is meant to help the applicant acquire a better understanding of the history, integrated civics and governance of the US. The revised format of the test testifies to this fact as the questions have been made tougher and calls for a more comprehensive understanding of the various aspects of US rather than just plain rote learning.

The essential difference

While in the earlier format, the questions started with at least seven questions based on the US flag, the new format restricts it to may be two. Whereas earlier you may have been asked to just identify the color and the number of stars in the flag, the present evaluation requires you to understand what the stars represent. So you cannot just breeze through with single worded answers too. The answers require you to provide more details by analysing the meaning behind the question.

The difference is more obvious when it comes to questions related to the US government. Here too, the difficulty level has been increased. From the earlier pattern of questions based on the system of US government, the present questions expect you to have deeper knowledge about it.

It’s just a matter of being well prepared to qualify in the US citizenship test.

How to Book for the US Citizenship Test?

The path to acquiring US citizenship is strewn with difficulties, not the least of which is the citizenship test conducted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services or the USCIS. The package consists of two parts – a test in English as well in Civics. Qualifying in both is mandatory to cross the last and final hurdle towards acquiring US citizenship.

The process

Once you have applied formally for United States citizenship, your application would be scrutinized by the immigration officials. If the application clears all the requirements, you would be naturally called for the interview with the USCIS official.

In the normal process, an applicant can expect to receive the call for the interview within 6 months of filing the application. But current scenario is such that the time frame may stretch a bit to the north with the interview being scheduled as late as 16 to 18 months after the filing process. This situation has arisen due to the unprecedented rise in the number of applications.

The call

The intimation for the citizenship interview is done via mail. Mind you, the call letter would come only once. In the absence of a response, you would not receive a second call from the USCIS. The letter would contain detailed information about the time and place scheduled for the interview.

The documentation

The applicant is expected to present his Alien Registration Card or Permanent Resident Card at the time of the interview. You should also present your Passport for scrutiny. In case you have any Re-entry pass, ensure that you have it with you during the interview. And be prepared to answer any questions related to your application and your background.

Once your documents have been verified, the official would test your English and Civics skill through oral questions in the Civics test and by asking to read one out of three statements and explaining the meaning in the English test.

The provision for failures

In case you fail to qualify for the tests, you would be given another opportunity the same day itself. If you still fail to get through, you are given the option for a retest in the part you have failed between 60 to 90 days from the date that had been scheduled for your first interview.