US Citizenship By Natural Essay, Research Paper

The United States is a nation of Immigrants. For centuries people have

come to the U.S. in search of prosperity, freedom and financial

success. By definition of the Microsoft Bookshelf Encyclopedia an

immigrant is a person who leaves one country to settle permanently in

another country or region to which one is not native. People immigrate

for different reasons — A group of people may immigrate to another

country because of some conditions which make it difficult for them to

live in their home environment. According to Microsoft Bookshelf

Encyclopedia, the reason for immigration is often social for example,

population increases, defeat in war, desire for a better life through

material gain and the search for religious or political freedom. These

reasons have usually prompted many more immigrants to the U.S. than

natural causes have. The website of the Federation for American

Immigration Reform explains how the first great wave of immigrants came

to the U.S. In the early 19th century, large numbers of people from

Western Europe left their countries to escape poverty. Many of the

immigrants also came to escape religious persecution and political

oppression. By the end of the 19th century, the majority of the

immigrants were from Southern and Eastern Europe. After 1921,

immigration declined due to new and better conditions in Europe and to

limitations established by the U.S. government. The first law was

passed by the United States Congress in 1862, restricted immigration to

the U.S.. This law forbade American vessels to transport Chinese

immigrants to the United States. Later, in the 1800s, the U.S.

Congress passed acts which prevented convicts, polygamists, prostitutes

and persons suffering from contagious diseases to enter the U.S. In

1917, Congress passed an immigration law that required a literacy test.

Aliens unable to meet minimum mental, moral, physical and economic

standards were excluded form the U.S. as well. In 1921, a

congressional enactment created a quota system for immigrants, by which

the number of aliens of any nationality admitted to the United States

in a year could not exceed three percent of the number of foreign-born

residents of that nationality living in the United States. It would

seem that the number would be quite small, however, the year was 1919

and the majority of the U.S. population was foreign born. In 1924, the

basic immigration quotas were changed to a system based on the

desirability of the different nationalities. A congressional act of

1943 repealed the laws keeping the Chinese from entering the United

States.

(Microsoft Bookshelf Encyclopedia) One will probably agree that it is

important that every nation controls the flow of people who enter and

exit. To this extent, the United States has an agency which controls

and regulates these events. The Immigration and Naturalization Service

will determine how many people may enter, seek employment, and settle

within the U.S. Territory without altering the opportunities for U.S.

Citizens or Permanent Residents to develop their own lives. The INS

agency of the United States Department of Justice is empowered to

administer federal laws relating to the admission, exclusion,

deportation, and naturalization of aliens. The agency investigates the

qualifications of applicants for citizenship and provides public

schools with materials required for educating candidates for

citizenship. Another duty of the INS is to patrol the borders of the

United States to prevent the illegal entry of aliens. The agency also

registers aliens residing in the country. ( Encarta Encyclopedia

article on immigration, http://www.usdoj.gov/ins ) Before a person can

apply for Citizenship in the United States, one has to be a lawful,

permanent resident for five years. In the case of permanent residency

that has been acquired through marriage to a U.S. citizen the time of

residency is reduced to three years before an application for

citizenship can be made assuming the person continues to be married to

that U.S. citizen. According to the Immigration and Naturalization

Service, there are six other ways to obtain permanent residency besides

through marriage. (1) Qualifying persons may obtain a visa based on

employment and on special abilities the person my possess. (2) A

person may obtain a visa through a family member that already is a

citizen or permanent resident. (3) The INS holds an annual lottery in

which some 50,000 visas are given out. (4) Persons may obtain a visa

based on religious work they perform in the US. (5) Refugees seeking

asylum may obtain visas. (6) Persons who are willing to invest in a

US based business that will employ at least 11 workers will qualify for

permanent residency as well. A person may also apply for

naturalization if he or she is under 18 and may automatically become a

citizen when their parents naturalize. The fee for filing for

Citizenship is $225 and it is payable to Immigration and Naturalization

Service. Further information may be obtained through your local

Immigration and Naturalization Service Center. The Siskind^s Visalaw

website warns that if you have decided to live in the United States for

an indefinite period you should comply with U.S. Immigration laws and

procedures, as it would make it really difficult to obtain citizenship

or just even residency. The site also mentions that it is usually very

difficult to qualify for permanent residency. Siskind^s Visalaw website

also warns to submit a complete and accurate application form with all

the necessary attachments and requirements. Also one must insure that

the application is submitted to the correct Immigration Office.

Advise is given to speak with a reputable Immigration Attorney,

browsing through Immigrations books at the library, or “surfing the

net” etc., will likely inform on ways to obtain residency. Those who

meet the above qualifications are issued Immigrant visas for residence

in the United States. (Siskind, Susser, Haas & Devine) A person who

desires to be naturalized as a citizen of the United States may obtain

the necessary application form, as well as detailed information, from

the nearest office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or

from the clerk of a court handling naturalization cases. An applicant

must be at least 18 years old and must have been a lawful resident of

the United States continuously for 5 years. Again for husbands and

wives of U.S. citizens, the period is 3 years in most instances.

Special provisions apply to certain veterans of the armed forces. An

applicant must have been physically present in the country for at least

half of the required 5 years^ residence. Every applicant for

naturalization must: (1) demonstrate an understanding of the English

language, including an ability to read, write, and speak words in

ordinary usage in English (persons physically unable to do so and

persons who, on the examination date, are over 55 years of age and have

been lawful permanent residents of the United States for 15 years or

more, or who are over 50 and have been residents 20 or more years, are

exempt); (2) have been a person of good moral character, attached to

the principles of the Constitution, and well disposed to the good order

and happiness of the United States for 5 years just before filing the

petition or for whatever other period of residence is required in the

particular case and continue to be such a person until admitted to

citizenship; and (3) demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the

fundamentals of the history, and the principles and form of government,

of the United States. This can be done at private, designated testing

entities or at the interview before an immigration examiner. At the

interview the applicant may be represented by a lawyer or social

service agency. If conditions are favorable, and the application is

approved and your interview is successful one will be required to take

an oath to the United States in order to become a citizen. In the

swearing ceremony conducted administratively the following oath of

allegiance is given: I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and

entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign

prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, to whom or which I have

heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend

the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all

enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and

allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United

States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant

service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the

law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian

direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation

freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me

God. (American Immigration Center www.us-immigration.com/do.htm,

U.S.Immigration and Naturalization Services www.ins.usdoj.gov/law, A

PRACTICAL GUIDE TO IMMIGRATING TO THE U.S.@

http://shusterman.com/homepage.html, Chang & Boos Attorneys @

www.americanlaw.com/info.html,) Needless to say the U.S. is a nation of

Immigrants. Even though some of the proceedings might seem confusing

and complicated there is a lot more detail to all the steps than one

could imagine, and it certainly would provide for many more pages of

information. So far the immigration agencies in the U.S. has served

well. Even though changes and improvements could have been made it is

amazing that the system has worked so well considering the large number

of applicants each year and the budget the INS has to work with. Over

all the U.S. is the most popular country to immigrants.

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