Green card holder for 35 years, finally applying for US Citizenship

tvon07

New Member
All,

My mother who is 61 years old and has been a green card holder (Cambodian refugee) for over 30 years wants to be a US Citizen for a very long time. The reason why it has taken so long is due to the fact she speaks very little English and cannot read or write English and does not have any formal education from her native country.

She fears of failing the exam and having to retake it again while it is costly for the application fee. Everyone in our family are US Citizens, including myself. We are encouraging her to apply and not fear of failing, can someone who have a similar background share their experiences?

Another concern is on the N-400 form (Naturalization application), part 9. About Your Children section, it asks to list her children. She currently does not have a good relationship with one of her children (30 years old) and does not know their physical address. They communicate via telephone on occassions just to keep in touch. Since we cannot provide the address information pertaining to this person, is it okay to list as "N/A" and put a brief detail of "indifferent"? She also moved out at the age of 16 or 17 to live with her significant other. We just do not want this to affect her chances of being accepted as a US Citizen.

Thanks for reading.
 
First, she is 61 now, and if she doesn't want to improve her English and get prepped for the test, its only going to get harder as she get older. With regards to the children, just put down "unknown" and explain it during the interview. i am sure it happens all the time.
 
Basically you can go with her as her interpreter for the civics test and tell her the correct answers. I am not saying you should do that :)

You may be permitted to take the civics test in your native language, but only if your understanding of spoken English is insufficient to conduct a valid examination in English.

If you take the test in your native language, you must bring an interpreter with you to your interview.
 
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