“Watching my student LanKhanh take the Oath of Allegiance was a proud day for us all. At the Center we celebrate with every student who passes the citizenship test–with lots of joy and sometimes treats!” Paula Land

19 Students Achieve Citizenship in FY13

In FY13, 19 CMC students earned their U.S. Citizenship. Individuals who apply for naturalization must complete the four parts of the exam to earn Citizenship. They must demonstrate their ability to (1) read, (2) write, and (3) speak English in an interview with a federal immigration officer. In addition to English language skills, students must (4) memorize one-hundred U.S. history and government questions in order to correctly answer 6 out of a random set of 10 questions. Students can study citizenship at CMC one-on-one with a tutor and/or in a group class taught by the Immigrant/Refugee Coordinator. In FY13, 37 students spent a total of 308 hours in this class becoming familiar with the complicated citizenship process. 

Individuals must file a naturalization application with a fee of $680. If students are not fully prepared for the exam, and fail one or more of the four interview requirements mentioned above, they must re-apply and pay the fee again. For that reason, CMC staff monitors students’ progress and advises them to apply upon mastering the four interview requirements.

U.S. Citizenship bestows many benefits to those who attain it: voting rights, potential for federal employment, healthcare benefits, and Social Security benefits. In addition to these federally mandated benefits, citizenship signifies to potential employers that individuals are more integrated than non-naturalized immigrants. According to the Migration Policy Institute, “Even after controlling for the fact that naturalized immigrants have higher levels of education, better language skills, and more work experience in the United States, there is some evidence that the naturalized may earn a wage premium that different studies have estimated at 5 percent or more.”

Mei Hui is a CMC student from Fujian, China who obtained her US citizenship this year. She diligently studied the citizenship curriculum with her tutors, volunteer Susan Liddell and staff Sherryl Gaffney-Paige, until she knew the material perfectly. Mei and her husband own Oyama Japanese Steakhouse. She says that many hours of studying at CMC have given her greater confidence in her English conversations with customers at the restaurant.

Read more of our FY13 Annual Report.