New US citizenship test causing worries among immigrants and advocates – too hard.
Advocates Fear New US Citizenship Test Will Be Too Hard
Advocates for immigrants are fearful that a new citizenship test in the works from the Biden administration will be too hard.
The current test in use is from 2008, according to
The new test is expected to be used next year. More than 1 million immigrants became U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2022, one of the highest levels since 1907.
Fears of Increased Difficulty
Sara Goodman, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine, told the AP the current test is easier than citizenship tests used by nations such as Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
She said the test requires a “high beginner” level of English, and those taking it can have access to a question bank with answers before taking the test.
However, the new test would add a
“For me, I think it would be harder to look at pictures and explain them,” said Heaven Mehreta, who came to the U.S. from Ethiopia 10 years ago and passed the test last year, according to the AP.
“We should not create additional barriers to naturalization when there are already so many,” said Jennifer Anzardo Valdes, deputy director at Miami-based Americans for Immigrant Justice, according to
Helena Coric, the National Immigration Forum’s assistant vice president of Business Engagement & Inclusion Programs, said even the current English requirement is a barrier to citizenship, keeping immigrants with low proficiency levels from even applying for citizenship, according to Axios. A harder version will just make that worse.
She said the federal government should “have an implementation plan that allows vulnerable populations an option to take the current version of the test by request.”
Debate Over Changes
The current version of the test also includes an oral, short-answer section about U.S. history and government. The new version would make that multiple choice.
Some immigrant advocates questioned that change.
“Though multiple choice might sound easier to many people, it does mean that it’s going from an oral test to essentially a reading test,” Jessica Chicco, director of the New Americans Initiative at the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said.
However, Elizabeth Jacobs, director of regulatory affairs and policy at the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, argued that the Biden test is actually easier than the current one, according to the AP.
She said a concerns-from-immigrants-and-advocates-too-difficult/” title=”New US citizenship test causing worries among immigrants and advocates – too hard.”>multiple-choice format reduces the need for immigrants to actually memorize information about the country they want to call home.
She said the test should include more material like American values such as religious freedom and freedom of speech.
Concerns and Statistics
In 2018, the
The group reported in
The post New US Citizenship Test Requiring Greater English Skills Draws Concerns from Immigrants and Advocates – Too Difficult appeared first on The Western Journal.
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