Tuesday, March 9, 2021
On February 22, 2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it is reverting to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test as of March 1, 2021. Applicants who file for naturalization after March 2, 2021, will take the 2008 version of the test. The USCIS further clarified that this announcement was consistent with the framework of the Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Immigration Legal System released on February 2, 2021. The Order requires agencies to conduct a thorough review of recent regulations, policies, and guidance that have set up barriers to our legal immigration system.
The naturalization civics test goes through a decennial review and update process. On December 21, 2020, the USCIS announced a revised naturalization civics test. This revised test was viewed by many as a far more difficult test, which would result in the failure of many test-takers, thereby, pushing their dreams o
Updated Feb 24, 2021 | 14:04 IST
The decision to return to the 2008 version of the civics test is likely to benefit the Indian diaspora in the US eligible for citizenship. US President Joe Biden. | Photo Credit: AP
Key Highlights
The latest decision by the Biden administration is in keeping with the recently sworn-in US president s February 2 Executive Order
In December 2020, as part of a series of reforms that many have contended were anti-immigration in nature, the previous Trump administration put into effect a new civics test that, reportedly, made it more difficult for eligible immigrants to attain US citizenship
During the 12 months between September 30, 2018, and September 30, 2019, a total of 61,843 Indians gained US citizenship, making up 7.5 per cent of the total cohort granted citizenship
President Joe Biden. File
| Photo Credit:
AP
Applicants who filed their application for naturalisation on or after December 1, 2020, and before March 1, 2021, will have the option to take either the 2020 civics test or the 2008 civics test The Biden administration has announced to do away with the stringent Trump-era citizenship test and revert to the easier 2008 version, making the US naturalisation process more accessible to all eligible individuals. The new process comes into effect on March 1, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said in a press release on Monday. On December 1 last year, USCIS implemented a revised naturalisation civics test, called the 2020 civics test, as part of a decennial test review and update process.
US News: Those wanting to become American citizens need to demonstrate a basic understanding of English and pass a civics test. TOI had earlier reported that t
"This action is consistent with the framework of the Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems, which directs a comprehensive review of the naturalisation process to eliminate barriers and make the process more accessible to all eligible individuals," USCIS said in a statement.