New Immigration Chief Plans to Make U.S. Citizenship Test More Tough

The Trump administration will soon begin changing the U.S. citizenship test. The new head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says the current test is too easy, writes NewsNation.

Photo: Jennifer Pitiquen | Dreamstime.com

President Donald Trump has called naturalization “one of the most priceless gifts ever bestowed by human hands” — an honor that his administration will soon make more difficult to obtain.

Newly appointed USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the current test is not challenging enough.

"The test as it stands is not particularly difficult," Edlow said. "It's very easy to just memorize the answers. I don't think that's in the spirit of the law."

According to USCIS, 90% of applicants pass the test on their first try.

On the subject: Justice Department vows to step up revoking U.S. citizenship and deporting those who held it

What's Included in the U.S. Citizenship Test

The test currently consists of an English and social studies exam. Participants must orally answer 10 questions about the history and structure of the United States, randomly selected from a possible 100. To pass the test, you must answer six of them correctly.

Edlow said he plans to return to the 2020 test, which increases the number of possible questions to 128 and requires at least 12 out of 20 to be answered correctly to pass.

In addition, USCIS proposed adding an English speaking test to the test to assess language proficiency.

The employee will show photographs of common everyday situations and ask you to describe them.

Edlow said the changes would help participants better understand American civics. However, even for native-born U.S. citizens who have forgotten their high school history, some questions have proven difficult.

USCIS reported that nearly 820 immigrants became U.S. citizens last year, and more than a million people have become citizens since 000.

For many immigrants, this is a privilege worth working hard for.

"I consider this a huge achievement and a milestone in my life," said one new citizen.

Michelle Perrot, citizenship program coordinator for the San Diego County Community College System in California, told The Associated Press that the format change could make it more difficult for those who have difficulty taking the tests.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

“We have a lot of refugee students from war-torn countries where they may not have had the opportunity to finish school or even go to school,” Perrott said. “Learning to read and write is harder if you can’t even do it in your native language. That’s my main concern about the multiple-choice test — there’s too much reading.”

Edlow said the changes would be made soon, but the exact timing has not yet been determined.

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