‘English’ Update on US Citizenship Tests

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has proposed updating the English-speaking portion of the current citizenship proof system. In the actual exam, participants are asked to answer orally the questions they answered in the written section, where their speaking ability is measured.

With the amendment proposed by USCIS, the oral test will require participants to describe it in English by showing photographs of everyday life. He indicated that the update to be made in this context will be tested throughout the country this year to receive feedback from the public.

Another change to the test will be the implementation of the verbal questions in the civics section as a multiple-choice written test.

THE EXAM IS DIFFICULT FOR IMMIGRANTS

Heaven Mehreta, 32, of Ethiopian descent, who was granted citizenship in June, said the hardest part of English is pronunciation and the next update will make the test more difficult.

Shai Avny, who immigrated to the US from Israel 5 years ago, also drew attention to the difficulty of communicating with examination officers for immigrants whose native language is not English.

Authorities reported in December that tests that had not been updated since 2008 would be subject to change, after US President Joe Biden withdrew changes to those tests that former President Donald Trump introduced in 2020. USCIS said in December that the changes would be an important step to standardize testing. (AA)