New citizens swearing to Naturalization Oath of Allegiance. Photo by Christina Xu. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, no changes made.
By Melanie Quijano, News Editor
Lone Star College-Kingwood was able to help make the lives of local residents a little bit less stressful on Saturday, October 8. In providing their facilities to National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, the nonprofit organization had the means for helping residents fill out the complicated form that is a citizenship application. This part of naturalization is close to the last step in a process that, for many, has taken 20 years or more. Citizenship application can be distressing for many people who are not yet fluent in the English language because it has so many prerequisites and steps.
Created with images from Creative Commons. No attribution needed.
According to the NALEO Educational Fund, in order to first apply for citizenship you must be at least 18 years old, have lived with a residency in the United States for five years or only three if the person is married to a citizen, be a person of “good moral character” (this is determined based upon the applicant’s criminal record), and be prepared to pass the naturalization exam.
This part of the process can take from six months to a year, sometimes more. The form itself is 20 pages long and is filled with advanced English language. For this reason, LSC-Kingwood volunteers and attorneys were on hand to help residents in obtaining their citizenship.
Contrary to popular belief, not just anybody can become a United States citizen. Even those who are eligible for citizenship must go through a long complicated process that ends up costing thousands of dollars. Although to some, this may seem like too much of an inconvenience; for many aspiring candidates, becoming a citizen of the United States is the key to their freedom and success. It is their American Dream.