Good news for folks waiting for Cship

[Punjabi_Munda]

There is a new bill if passed would knock off one year of waiting time and testing requirements for citizenship.

S. 1815

A BILL
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to prescribe the binding oath or affirmation of renunciation and allegiance required to be naturalized as a citizen of the United States, to encourage and support the efforts of prospective citizens of the United States to become citizens, and for other purposes.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Strengthening American Citizenship Act of 2005'.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) OATH OF ALLEGIANCE- The term `Oath of Allegiance' means the binding oath (or affirmation) of allegiance required to be naturalized as a citizen of the United States, as prescribed in subsection (e) of section 337 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1448(e)), as added by section 301(a)(2).

(2) SECRETARY- Except as otherwise provided, the term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Homeland Security.

TITLE I--LEARNING ENGLISH

SEC. 101. ENGLISH FLUENCY.

(a) Education Grants-

(1) ESTABLISHMENT- The Chief of the Office of Citizenship of the Department of Homeland Security (referred to in this subsection as the `Chief') shall establish a grant program to provide grants in an amount not to exceed $500 to assist legal residents of the United States who declare an intent to apply for citizenship in the United States to meet the requirements under section 312 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1423).

(2) USE OF FUNDS- Grant funds awarded under this subsection shall be paid directly to an accredited institution of higher education or other qualified educational institution (as determined by the Chief) for tuition, fees, books, and other educational resources required by a course on the English language in which the legal resident is enrolled.

(3) APPLICATION- A legal resident desiring a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the Chief at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Chief may reasonably require.

(4) PRIORITY- If insufficient funds are available to award grants to all qualified applicants, the Chief shall give priority based on the financial need of the applicants.

(5) NOTICE- The Secretary, upon relevant registration of a legal resident with the Department of Homeland Security, shall notify such legal resident of the availability of grants under this subsection for legal residents who declare an intent to apply for United States citizenship.

(b) Faster Citizenship for English Fluency- Section 316 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1427) is amended by adding at the end the following:

`(g) A legal resident of the United States who demonstrates English fluency, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, will satisfy the residency requirement under subsection (a) upon the completion of 4 years of continuous legal residency in the United States.'.

SEC. 102. SAVINGS PROVISION.

Nothing in this Act shall be construed to--

(1) modify the English language requirements for naturalization under section 312(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1423(a)(1)); or

(2) influence the naturalization test redesign process of the Office of Citizenship of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (except for the requirement under section 301(b) of this Act).

TITLE II--EDUCATION ABOUT THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE

SEC. 201. AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) In General- The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program to provide financial assistance for--

(1) efforts by entities (including veterans and patriotic organizations) certified by the Office of Citizenship of the Department of Homeland Security to promote the patriotic integration of prospective citizens into the American way of life by providing civics, history, and English as a second language courses, with a specific emphasis on attachment to principles of the Constitution of the United States, the heroes of American history (including military heroes), and the meaning of the Oath of Allegiance; and

(2) other activities approved by the Secretary to promote the patriotic integration of prospective citizens and the implementation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), including grants--

(A) to promote an understanding of the form of government and history of the United States; and

(B) to promote an attachment to the principles of the Constitution of the United States and the well being and happiness of the people of the United States.

(b) Acceptance of Gifts- The Secretary may accept and use gifts from the United States Citizenship Foundation, if the foundation is established under section 202(a), for grants under this section.

(c) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

SEC. 202. FUNDING FOR THE OFFICE OF CITIZENSHIP.

(a) Authorization- The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, is authorized to establish the United States Citizenship Foundation (referred to in this section as the `Foundation'), an organization duly incorporated in the District of Columbia, exclusively for charitable and educational purposes to support the functions of the Office of Citizenship, which shall include the patriotic integration of prospective citizens into--

(1) American common values and traditions, including an understanding of the history of the United States and the principles of the Constitution of the United States; and

(2) civic traditions of the United States, including the Pledge of Allegiance, respect for the flag of the United States, and voting in public elections.

(b) Dedicated Funding-

(1) IN GENERAL- Not less than 1.5 percent of the funds made available to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (including fees and appropriated funds) shall be dedicated to the functions of the Office of Citizenship, which shall include the patriotic integration of prospective citizens into--

(A) American common values and traditions, including an understanding of American history and the principles of the Constitution of the United States; and

(B) civic traditions of the United States, including the Pledge of Allegiance, respect for the flag of the United States, and voting in public elections.

(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS- It is the sense of Congress that dedicating increased funds to the Office of Citizenship should not result in an increase in fees charged by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

(c) Gifts-

(1) TO FOUNDATION- The Foundation may solicit, accept, and make gifts of money and other property in accordance with section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

(2) FROM FOUNDATION- The Office of Citizenship may accept gifts from the Foundation to support the functions of the Office.

(d) Authorization of Appropriations- There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the mission of the Office of Citizenship, including the patriotic integration of prospective citizens into--

(1) American common values and traditions, including an understanding of American history and the principles of the Constitution of the United States; and

(2) civic traditions of the United States, including the Pledge of Allegiance, respect for the flag of the United States, and voting in public elections.

SEC. 203. RESTRICTION ON USE OF FUNDS.

No funds appropriated to carry out a program under this title may be used to organize individuals for the purpose of political activism or advocacy.

SEC. 204. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

The Chief of the Office of Citizenship shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, an annual report that contains--

(1) a list of the entities that have received funds from the Office of Citizenship during the reporting period under this title and the amount of funding received by each such entity;

(2) an evaluation of the extent to which grants received under this title and title I successfully promoted an understanding of--

(A) the English language; and

(B) American history and government, including the heroes of American history, the meaning of the Oath of Allegiance, and an attachment to the principles of the Constitution of the United States; and

(3) information about the number of legal residents who were able to achieve the knowledge described under paragraph (2) as a result of the grants provided under this title and title I.

TITLE III--CODIFYING THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE

SEC. 301. OATH OR AFFIRMATION OF RENUNCIATION AND ALLEGIANCE.

(a) Revision of Oath- Section 337 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1448) is amended--

(1) in subsection (a), by striking `under section 310(b) an oath' and all that follows through `personal moral code.' and inserting `under section 310(b), the oath (or affirmation) of allegiance prescribed in subsection (e).'; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:

`(e)(1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the oath (or affirmation) of allegiance prescribed in this subsection is as follows: `I take this oath solemnly, freely, and without any mental reservation. I absolutely and entirely renounce all allegiance to any foreign state or power of which I have been a subject or citizen. My fidelity and allegiance from this day forward are to the United States of America. I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution and laws of the United States, and will support and defend them against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I will bear arms, or perform noncombatant military or civilian service, on behalf of the United States when required by law. This I do solemnly swear, so help me God.'.

`(2) If a person, by reason of religious training and belief (or individual interpretation thereof) or for other reasons of good conscience, cannot take the oath prescribed in paragraph (1)--

`(A) with the term `oath' included, the term `affirmation' shall be substituted for the term `oath'; and

`(B) with the phrase `so help me God' included, the phrase `so help me God' shall be omitted.

`(3) If a person shows by clear and convincing evidence to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that such person, by reason of religious training and belief, cannot take the oath prescribed in paragraph (1)--

`(A) because such person is opposed to the bearing of arms in the Armed Forces of the United States, the words `bear arms, or' shall be omitted; and

`(B) because such person is opposed to any type of service in the Armed Forces of the United States, the words `bear arms, or' and `noncombatant military or' shall be omitted.

`(4) As used in this subsection, the term `religious training and belief'--

`(A) means a belief of an individual in relation to a Supreme Being involving duties superior to those arising from any human relation; and

`(B) does not include essentially political, sociological, or philosophical views or a merely personal moral code.

`(5) Any reference in this title to `oath' or `oath of allegiance' under this section shall be deemed to refer to the oath (or affirmation) of allegiance prescribed under this subsection.'.

(b) History and Government Test- The Secretary shall incorporate a knowledge and understanding of the meaning of the Oath of Allegiance into the history and government test given to applicants for citizenship.

(c) Notice to Foreign Embassies- Upon the naturalization of a new citizen, the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of State, shall notify the embassy of the country of which the new citizen was a citizen or subject that such citizen has--

(1) renounced allegiance to that foreign country; and

(2) sworn allegiance to the United States.

(d) Effective Date- The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act.

TITLE IV--CELEBRATING NEW CITIZENS

SEC. 401. ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW CITIZENS AWARD PROGRAM.

(a) Establishment- There is established a new citizens award program to recognize citizens who--

(1) have made an outstanding contribution to the United States; and

(2) were naturalized during the 10-year period ending on the date of such recognition.

(b) Presentation Authorized-

(1) IN GENERAL- The President is authorized to present a medal, in recognition of outstanding contributions to the United States, to citizens described in subsection (a).

(2) MAXIMUM NUMBER OF AWARDS- Not more than 10 citizens may receive a medal under this section in any calendar year.

(c) Design and Striking- The Secretary of the Treasury shall strike a medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the President.

(d) National Medals- The medals struck pursuant to this section are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.

SEC. 402. NATURALIZATION CEREMONIES.

(a) In General- The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Director of the National Park Service, the Archivist of the United States, and other appropriate Federal officials, shall develop and implement a strategy to enhance the public awareness of naturalization ceremonies.

(b) Venues- In developing the strategy under this section, the Secretary shall consider the use of outstanding and historic locations as venues for select naturalization ceremonies.

(c) Reporting Requirement- The Secretary of Homeland Security shall annually submit a report to Congress that contains--

(1) the content of the strategy developed under this section; and

(2) the progress made towards the implementation of such strategy.

[Punjabi_Munda]

Thanks for raining on our parade Joe but from what I heard it was passed this morning in the Senate 91-1, a decisive margin. By way of reference the guest worker program passed a committee by a close vote and has yet to be acted on by the whole Senate.

I would think the chances for this are pretty good given the overwhelming support.

There is nothing wrong for being optimistic Try it once and you might like it, you never know.

[qili]

Originally Posted by ****

This has nothing to do with the current immigration bill.
This is a different bill.

Dude, no body said anything about it being part of the current immigration bill.

Don't change the subject just because you were losing the argument.

[jvs1]

I read it from the paper yesterday. It will be really good if it reduces the waiting period by an year !!!

[thankful]

It has been made part of the bill currently under consideration.

[gvaknin]

First the comment:

It would be great if it passed and signed. Cutting 1 year means shortening the wait time, and those that intend on becoming citizens sooner than later will appreciate it the most.

Now the question:

The oath says: "....I absolutely and entirely renounce all allegiance to any foreign state or power of which I have been a subject or citizen...."
And then it continues to say that:"....(c) Notice to Foreign Embassies- Upon the naturalization of a new citizen, the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of State, shall notify the embassy of the country of which the new citizen was a citizen or subject that such citizen has--

(1) renounced allegiance to that foreign country; and

(2) sworn allegiance to the United States.

Does that mean that the original country will stop your citizenship? I heard some countries allow dual citizenship, however even if they do, will the USA allow that? Can somebody please help me with this? Thanks,

Gilbert.

[rummenigge]

the real beneficiary of this, if any, are those who likes to leave this country right away but want the passport of US. I can't imagine it makes a different if one gets the citizenship in 3 or 4 or 5 yrs. Well, maybe there are someone who hates his/her mother country or think their vote (one vote) makes a diff to the school board, or city/county, state and even to this country

[hipka]

Originally Posted by gvaknin

First the comment:

It would be great if it passed and signed. Cutting 1 year means shortening the wait time, and those that intend on becoming citizens sooner than later will appreciate it the most.

Now the question:

The oath says: "....I absolutely and entirely renounce all allegiance to any foreign state or power of which I have been a subject or citizen...."
And then it continues to say that:"....(c) Notice to Foreign Embassies- Upon the naturalization of a new citizen, the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of State, shall notify the embassy of the country of which the new citizen was a citizen or subject that such citizen has--

(1) renounced allegiance to that foreign country; and

(2) sworn allegiance to the United States.

Does that mean that the original country will stop your citizenship? I heard some countries allow dual citizenship, however even if they do, will the USA allow that? Can somebody please help me with this? Thanks,

Gilbert.

No, you do not need to give up another country's citizenship if that country allows dual citizenship. The USA definitely allows dual citizenship although it does not encourage it. Renouncing allegiance in front of US official has a different meaning than giving up citizenship.

[hipka]

Originally Posted by rummenigge

the real beneficiary of this, if any, are those who likes to leave this country right away but want the passport of US. I can't imagine it makes a different if one gets the citizenship in 3 or 4 or 5 yrs. Well, maybe there are someone who hates his/her mother country or think their vote (one vote) makes a diff to the school board, or city/county, state and even to this country

You are trivializing the benefits of citizenship. What if someone plans to take a foreign assignment for his employer for a few years. Citizenship would make this process easy. What if he wants to sponsor his parents or spouse?? Having waited so long to get a GC another 5 yrs to get CZ seems like eternity. I hope this bill passes!!

[gvaknin]

Thanks **** and Hipka,

It makes sense. Can you please clarify one thing for me? Hipka, you indicated: "...Renouncing allegiance in front of US official has a different meaning than giving up citizenship...." what is the other meaning of it?

Thanks again,

Gilbert

[Punjabi_Munda]

Kennedy-Mccain bill is dead in congress & Hagel-Martinez bill which also had a guest worker program.

Looks like Senate will go on a break for 2 weeks and return and pass the House border security legislation without the guest worker program and also removing the fact that it would make illegal aliens into criminals.

So now our hope is that the 4 year U.S Citizenship ammendment is added to the legislation and I feel it may be added since most of the bill is negative.
The majority of republicans don't want any guest worker plan. Just few who have aspirations of becoming the President like Frist & Specter want to bring the Latino vote on their side for decades.

The strikes can happen and Republicans won't budge. Its against their morals to make it easy for Immigrants. If anything passes, it will first introduce lots of legislation that is just not fair and then offer few "limited" ammendments to help immigrants.

I think the 4 year citizneship ammendment has a good chance of passing ONLY if no guest worker plan is introduced.

[gvaknin]

Again, a big thank you for clarifying. I will check this URL.

Have a nice weekend,

[rummenigge]

Originally Posted by hipka

You are trivializing the benefits of citizenship. What if someone plans to take a foreign assignment for his employer for a few years. Citizenship would make this process easy. What if he wants to sponsor his parents or spouse?? Having waited so long to get a GC another 5 yrs to get CZ seems like eternity. I hope this bill passes!!

true, if a newly naturalized person wants to apply for his sibblings, and wants his nephew can be included before age 18 ....etc
but reality is time of getting citizenship will take longer andlonger because people at their 4th and 5th yr (if they care to get citizenship) will jam the bottleneck to double of time, so don't get happy so early.

don't forget the new bill, if passed, will increase the load of naturalization 5 yrs down the road. i don't mind this bill passed, i just don't see a big deal overall. Keep in mind, most legislators don't really care, they only care the votes they get, they are selfish too. They support the bill <> new CZ will vote for them

[srinivas_nandul]

I dont get it. If the Senate passes it overwhelmingly, is this not enough for this bill to pass?? May be i should brush up my skills of how the govt works..

[qili]

Originally Posted by ****

For lots of details about dual citizenship, and the laws and rules behind it, see the excellent Dual Citizenship FAQ by Rich Wales, himself a dual US-Canadian citizen: http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

is Mr. Wales trained in immigration laws? No.
is Mr. Wales trained in laws in general? No.
is Mr. Wales required under US constitution to give you truthful answers? No.
does Mr. Wales incur any liabilities from giving you wrong answers? No.

Then, by your own logic, we shouldn't trust him.

Now, why are you referring us to a person who you said we shouldn't trust?

[rummenigge]

Originally Posted by qili

is Mr. Wales trained in immigration laws? No.
is Mr. Wales trained in laws in general? No.
is Mr. Wales required under US constitution to give you truthful answers? No.
does Mr. Wales incur any liabilities from giving you wrong answers? No.

Then, by your own logic, we shouldn't trust him.

Now, why are you referring us to a person who you said we shouldn't trust?

sounds like you have a foundamental logic problem at hand.

who is Mr Wales?

[qili]

Originally Posted by ****

While he isn't a lawyer, he has extensively researched this topic.

is that your new stand: as long as person has extensively researched a topic, he is trustworthy, and you no longer require him to be obligated to tell the truth by US constitution; you no longer require him to be trained in immigration law; and you no longer require him to take on any liabilities?

Do you think the uscis has extensively researched US immigration laws? does that make it OK to use their helpline?

[srinivas_nandul]

Hi Guys,

We are only to help each other achieve whatever we are set for. Lets be constructive. Bickering will only discourage people from expressing their opinions.

[Upstate_NY]

Disagreement doesn’t mean the end of the world, well, maybe for someone who has nothing else to do!

[Punjabi_Munda]

Thanks UpstateNY but I don't think Joe would but true test of his ego though.

[srinivas_nandul]

Whatever **** is doing.. he is still helping. Thats my take..I want to still get back to the issue..

I was reading news on this issue. Accroding to that, the senate passed an amendment to the immigration reform bill. Does this mean it is part of the bill which is stalled in the Senate?? If it is.. then there is no way this can be signed into law if the overall immigration bill dies right??

I am following this closely because it would help me immensely if they reduce the time for citizenship..

[qili]

Originally Posted by srinivas_nandul

We are only to help each other achieve whatever we are set for. Lets be constructive.

I agree with that. For a member as prominent as **** wants to be, and for the amount of "advices" he dishes out on hourly basis, it is critical for us to understand how much weight we should put on what he gives out, thus my desire to get an answer from him as to how he would apply his own logic to himself.

I never thought it would be that difficult.

Bickering will only discourage people from expressing their opinions.

and calling others "idiots" and being elusive in answering honest and simple questions doesn't help either.

It is quite sad that **** has dedicated his life to help others here, and I for one wanted to give him as much trust as i can because I think he deserves that, and more importantly, he needs given that this forum has become ****'s only life.

However, **** needs to help us help him restore his trust in the eyes of the members first. After that, we will help him gain a little bit of rudimentory legal knowledges to play a lawyer here, something he couldn't do in real life.

[Upstate_NY]

BTW, how did the oath go? Congrats. Take a celebratory cruise or something.

[sidd_hyd]

1. I thought that we need to wait 5 years (4 yrs 9 mos) on GC before we apply for citizenship. Is this bill changing that to 4 years? Do we know when we will be knowing its fate?

2. What are the various steps in going from gc->cz? I am seeing terms such as N-400, FP, NOA etc and am bit confused.

3. Do you know what is the avg timeframe that it would take to get my mom a green card once I become a citizen?

Thanks in advance and apologies if these questions have been answered already.
-Sidd

[sidd_hyd]

****,

Thanks for your reply and Congratulations on becoming US Citizen.

A couple of follow up questions

1. The date on my GC says that I have been a permanent resident since Apr 29, 2002. This would mean that I can start the N400 app process Jan 29 2007, right?

2. Once I become a US citizen, can I start my mother's GC process even if she is in US on a visitors visa?

-Sidd

[KhoonPasina]

****,
now you are wasting time and not getting any job for years although?? that sucks... You know what?? nothing


sidd_hyd, why you are upto make more jobless who is already jobless?? ohh?? Rather than that, will you get him some cleaning job for ****?? Thanks for your help . Ok

[sidd_hyd]

Originally Posted by ****

Thanks.
Yes, provided that all requirements other than the 5 years of continuous residency are fulfilled at that time.

OK. What would be the other requirements? Since getting my GC, I have taken five trips to india of ~one month each and one trip to Europe for 2 weeks. So I should satisfy the 30 months physical presence requirement. I have filed Fed/State/Local taxes for each of these years.

Originally Posted by ****

Yes. However, there may be problems if that is too soon after she enters. Because then, CIS suspects that she had the intent to immigrate all along, and didn't tell them when she entered. It is recommended to wait at least 90 days after entry before filing the I-130 and I-485.

I see. Thanks for the info.

Sidd

[qili]

Originally Posted by ****

Reported to the admin.

I just wrote the admin an email with regarding ****'s indiscreminate name calling, as evidenced in his signature. In my view, such a line shows nothing but inmaturity, and is representative of childish and rude behaviors this forum should not tolerate in the least bit. It promots hatred and fractures the community.

I would encourage everyone and anyone to report such offensive behaviors to the admin, like **** just did, so that we paint an accurate picture of who the instigator and offender really is.

****, I commend you on using the tool effectively and setting a good example for the community. We all have to be proactive to take back this community and encourage the right behaviors.

and I for one would appreciate the admin's speedy action on that front and have the offenders fairly and appropriately disciplined per the forum's rules.

[Upstate_NY]

****,

Awaiting your experience on citizenship interview & oath. Any plans to go for a celebratory cruise? Oh no! I didn't mean a one-way trip!

[Upstate_NY]

Originally Posted by ****

About 3500 people in the oath ceremony. Not much to say about it, actually. The usual pomp and circumstances, with National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance, etc.

Congrats! How do you feel now? Any info to share on the interview that would help the rest of us? Are you now a dual-citizen or had to give up your old nationality? Germany doesn't allow dual-citizenship, right?