Finding 7: The Naturalization Process is a Deterrent

Application length and complexity fuel procrastination while the fear of the interview plagues applicants, regardless of their confidence.

When asked to describe their immigration journey in a few words, over half of our interviewees expressed negative sentiments or outlooks. Half of all interviewees also criticized the citizenship process as long, outdated, complex, not transparent, or difficult. We heard that the initial feeling of being overwhelmed could delay or dissuade an individual from starting on their citizenship.

“First of all, I was very intimidated by the paperwork. So, like I said, it was twenty-five pages of… it just felt like an eternity of filling out papers, and it was twenty-five pages of asking, I think, events ten years leading up to your application. So it was a lot details I can't really recall, per se, and when you have a big project staring you in the face, you just really don't wanna do it.” Interviewee 23, on looking at the application a year before she actually sat down to complete it.

"How I'd describe the citizenship process? Meticulous. Ridiculous." Interviewee 48

Government Requests Information It Already Possesses

The application at first glance is daunting and includes requests for information the government already has. Participants noted how it seemed strange to be asked the same questions from their Green Card application or about interactions they had with the government, such as border crossings or tax filings. Some distinctly noted that they had to find the “right time” to apply or indicated needing a gap in time to tackle the large application. Some found gathering the documentation to be a barrier to applying for citizenship.

Application Requires Explanation

Like most government forms, the application’s language is complex and can confuse even those with high English proficiency and those with higher education. Many participants spoke about the need for a second pair of eyes to review the application questions and their answers. One applicant, who had completed graduate school and spoke English fluently, noted the need for her husband to review all her answers to ensure she was not misinterpreting any of the questions.

"My husband [helped me.] […] We do it together. It was a lot of questions, like personal questions, family and there was something legal and stuff like that. I don't remember exactly the question, but there was a lot. I mean, it's long, it's long paperwork to do." Interviewee 22, has a master's degree

"I don't want to blunder it, it's very important and I don't want to make a mistake filling a form and then be told, 'Hey! Surprise! You can't afford it!' Or have to pay more money something like that. To fix a mistake. So we are just going to do it with a lawyer. I think that, I mean I have read the forms, they ask you so many times to send information and if you get anything wrong it's such a huge problem that I believe we don't even want to get into. […] Just to be safe that we did a good job. Perfect the first time." Interviewee 26, has a college degree

"It was pretty, I wouldn't say easy, but if you are able to read and understand instructions, it's pretty straightforward. Well, it might have been because … I don't know how to describe it. We were able to research and find the information we needed. […] But basically if you were somebody that totally didn't know anything about the process, didn't have anybody to talk to, it could be a little difficult to collect all the required documents." Interviewee 46, has a PhD degree

"I think I'm very conscious, I'm very aware that this whole thing was very easy for me. […] It's not even something that I think a lot of people can navigate by themselves. […] I have a job that makes me talk to people and I have to solve problems for a living all the time. So to me things were clear enough, but many times I thought, 'Oh if I didn't have the English, for example, I probably wouldn't be able to do this by myself.' Or I don't know if I was just someone who didn't have a tech job like I do, would I be able to find all this information? Because I know where to go and I know what to trust, right? But I don't think that my experience is the general experience." Interviewee 45, has a college degree

In fact, most of those who completed the application alone were fluent in English and had a bachelor's degree or some other form of higher education. Some of the interviewees acknowledged that the process was hard enough for them, let alone someone without those credentials. All of our participants with low English proficiency had assistance with their application. However, this may not be representative because of the difficulty we experienced in recruiting LPRs with low-English proficiency organically and not through referral.

Critics might point out that the naturalization process can’t be that difficult to overcome, otherwise we would not have the high naturalization approval rates that we do. What this observation does not take into account are the individuals who delay their naturalization because it feels insurmountable or never bother applying because they can’t do so without outside assistance. The current process is filled with barriers that raise the bar unnecessarily for immigrants who live and work in this country, leaving many more vulnerable and with fewer benefits simply because the process is difficult to complete.

Unknown Timelines Create Uncertainty

In addition to the complexity of the application, the length of the entire process was anxiety-inducing for many participants. A couple of interviewees described having planned to apply for citizenship when their Green Card expired, but ultimately opted to renew upon learning that citizenship approval may take longer than the time they had left on their Green Card. Compounding the uncertainty of process timelines is the lack of transparency regarding interview dates and a general lack of communication from USCIS overall. Some service organizations also noted seeing a variance in timing depending on which USCIS processing location an applicant’s forms were sent to, making it more difficult for them to reliably inform their community about wait times.

"I was so confused about my timelines, oh my god." Interviewee 7

"I had to make sure I found the right receipt number to input the thing on the website to get the information, then it would still only give me a little bit of information like, "Right now we're reviewing things from the past from this period, not when we're going to review your things and how much time that is expected to take." It was very nebulous in my mind. I was like, "When will I reach the other side of this process?" I think if there were clarity on that kind of timeline, I would have felt more at peace with the wait." Interviewee 4

“I've heard horror stories from six months to two years. I needed get it done, because I am procrastinating too much. Then there was a deadline to apply for the FEMA position, so…” Interviewee 23

Interviews Feel Unpredictable

Most participants we spoke with described being nervous about the interview with the immigration officer. Many alluded to feeling like the interview’s success was dependent on the officer’s bias and mood. Most of those fearful of blanking during the interview or receiving a random application denial were otherwise confident about meeting citizenship requirements, indicating that the fear resided in factors they could not control. Many requirements of the application, including the civics test, can feel hard to understand, and therefore hard to control.

" I was extremely nervous for the interview. […] Every time you need to do something very official, for me, here I'm very worried about my language skills. […] What if the interviewer's from a state that has a very thick accent and I'm not used to that accent, and I just can't get anything that she's saying? And also, what if I forget all answers, right? […] Everything in general was fine. I remember there was one question that she asked me that was a date. I don't remember exactly what it was now, but on the book that we are given to study, the answer for that question was just the year. I gave her the year and then asked me, "But what date?" And I felt like I can't tell her that this was not in the book that we were given to study because I felt that she could feel confronted and then she would deny me citizenship." Interviewee 45, who speaks English fluently

"Before the people called me for my interview I was very, very nervous. [The attorney] say, 'You don't be nervous because they going to know. And they going to start asking you more questions about it and then you're going to get more nervous.'" Interviewee 19, regarding a marriage Green Card interview“The most nerve wracking part is not knowing what the person is going to be like. Kind of the very infamous attitude of officers, immigration officers, is that they're very cold. Very unapproachable, you don't know what kind of mood they're in that day, and I was very intimidated by the fact that if they say no I can be denied. So your whole plan, I had a lot at stake when it comes to, I put a lot in stake for this citizenship test. I think once again it's my own fault, no one else's, that they can deny me, and everything else would just crumble.” Interview #23

"I think that if I knew what to expect, would be easier. […] Everything could be a problem, that's the feeling. […] I felt like they're going to look at this, and I don't know what they were going to find. I remember having that feeling like the interview, and it was like this nerve wracking thing and it turned out to be the easiest thing. They didn't ask anything basically. But yes, it was nerve wracking." Interviewee 3

Participants with unusual aspects in their immigration journey, such as an unplanned divorce or a previous overstay on a visa, were unsure about how to best express these circumstances to immigration authorities when naturalizing. Many could not find reliable advice. When reviewing the abundance of online forums, applicants noted being unable to find information that exactly matched their case or being unsure of the credibility of the information they did find. Those who contacted USCIS were often turned away, given contradictory advice, or told the department was unable to provide that information.

“Like I have called out USCIS a few times just to try to get some clarification on some of the questions that they've asked and that's kind of a bit hit or miss. I think the first time I called up I have some questions how should I word this response. It was just like what type of … what is my status right now? I wasn't sure what type am I, am I legal, am I know status, am I an overstay? What do I put on there? And the first lady I spoke to, she kind of said, "Oh, just put no status because your visa status has expired or put overstay or something." So that kind of helped. But then the next time I called back I got someone who was like, "I can only assist you with how to fill out the form. Use a black pen. Write in all capital letters." She's just like said, "We can't tell you how to fill out the form." So it's like maybe the first lady shouldn't have told me what she said….But they really are pretty strict on not being able to … They can't help you with any questions. They just say if you need help, get a lawyer. Which is kind of, I don't know, it's a little prohibitive because it's … I guess you could always go see a lawyer for just an hour and just talk to him but I definitely don't want to get thing done through a lawyer. That's just absurd. I don't want to pay them a ton of money for information. I can fill out a form.” Interviewee 2

"Emotionally, probably it wasn't super helpful to be looking online with various questions and then seeing how people freak out on various forums. [laughs] I'm having a question about some part of a thing, and so then I type in that question and come up with some forum of someone freaking out and then potentially getting a good answer, a bad answer, a non-answer. I was like, 'This is actually not helpful because my case is not identical to theirs. Who knows who is giving them their responses and whatever information they have?'" Interviewee 4

We interviewed a group of eligible LPRs who had experienced profound trauma during the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, which drastically compounded the difficulty of the interview and exam. These interviewees shared how the trauma made it difficult to overcome challenges like learning English and memorizing civics answers. The already difficult process is compounded for people suffering from trauma or mental health issues, like refugees or asylees, and creates obstacles that should be taken into consideration.

The naturalization process is difficult by nature and many eligible LPRs consequently end up avoiding it. The application often requires days or weeks to complete. Many applicants seek assistance or advice to ensure they are accurately understanding the forms, anticipating all the steps, and tracking their progress appropriately. Establishing clear expectations and improving administrative aspects could have a substantial impact on immigrants’ attitudes toward and confidence in the naturalization process.