If you’re going to become a US citizen, you’re probably excited. Maybe you’re here mostly for work, or perhaps you’re marrying a US citizen, and you will live here with them from now on. No matter what your reason, you must prepare. You must pass the citizenship test, and it’s not easy.
You have the US civics test that helps you learn about this country. You should know about its history since you’ll soon live here. You will usually take an English test as well. It will test your basic conversational English skills since most American citizens speak English.
Individuals who don’t speak English can become citizens as well, and sometimes that happens. We’ll talk about becoming a US citizen if you’re not a great English speaker right now.
You Can Try to Learn
First, we should mention that you don’t necessarily need fluent English skills to pass the test. You might have some basic skills and pass it.
If you already speak a language like Spanish or Portuguese, English is not very dissimilar. Some of the words look and sound the same. If you speak something like Chinese or Japanese, though, you will likely have a harder time. The words and letters look nothing alike, and you may struggle.
You can take classes before taking the test. If you get a private tutor, they might help you. However, if you find that you are still struggling, you may wonder whether you can still become a citizen with few or no English language skills. To get a better perspective, you may consider taking an English-level test to assess your language proficiency.
One Exception
Some individuals can still become US citizens if they speak no English or very little of it. For instance, say you have lived in the US for many years. You’re over age 50, and you have lived here for at least 20 years. These situations do occur, although they’re relatively rare.
In this instance, you will not have to take the English language test. You must still take the civics test, as the government calls the history portion. This section also contains knowledge about how the American government functions.
You might also skip the English language section if you’re over age 55 and you have lived here for at least 15 years. Once again, you must take the civics section, but you can skip the English language part. If you’ve tried learning English and struggled with it, you should like this news.
Some options also apply if you’re over age 65 and you’ve lived here in the US for upwards of 20 years.
Another Exception
One more notable exception exists. You can sometimes skip this part if you have a debilitating medical condition. You must make sure that your condition applies before you can look into this option.
You must get a signed document from a doctor stating that you have this condition, and the government should excuse you. If the government does not feel that you meet the qualifications, then they might give you some additional support, but they’ll still make you take the English language test.
You Can Hire an Immigration Attorney to Help You
You should also know that you can hire a lawyer who can help you during this process and understands immigration law. They will have prior experience with these cases.
They can explain to you whether you have a legal right not to take the English language section and still become a US citizen. If they think you can take the test without the English language part, they can help you fill out the proper forms to make that happen.
If they feel you must still take the test, they can tell you about it, and they can also help you find a tutor who can explain exactly what is on the test and what you must know. Maybe you won’t become a great English speaker or writer by the time you take the test, but perhaps you can fake it convincingly enough for this situation.
You may feel like the US government asks a lot from anyone applying for citizenship, and probably that’s true. The government feels that anyone who wants citizenship should make a supreme effort in order to live here, though.
They should learn about how the US functions on the federal level. They should also master basic English skills that will serve them well once they take up legal residency.
Hopefully, you have what it takes, and you can pass the test.
