Immigration Myths & Facts
1. MYTH - I will lose my citizenship in my home country if I naturalize in the United States!
FACT - The following countries allow dual citizenship after U.S. Naturalization: Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Hungary, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Yemen. (However, several countries allow for dual citizenship under specific circumstances: Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Africa, and Tibet.)
2. MYTH - A DUI or DWI is not an arrest.
FACT - A DUI or DWI should be reported as an arrest on the application for naturalization.
3. MYTH - Permanent residents do not have to register for Selective Service.
FACT - All adult males, either as a U.S. citizen or a Lawful Permanent Resident, between the ages of 18 and 26 are required to register for the Selective Service. Failure to register may result in a denial of your naturalization application.
4. MYTH - You do not have to report crimes committed outside the statutory period.
FACT - Although the crime occurred outside the statutory period (more than five years prior to the date of application), it should still be reported since USCIS will take these crimes into account. This requirement also applies to arrests not leading to convictions outside the statutory period.
5. MYTH - I am a U.S. citizen and can sponsor my parents for permanent residency, which then allows them to bring my sibling younger than 21 years old as a dependant.
FACT - While many applications do permit aliens to declare their spouses and children as dependants, an application for permanent residency based on immediate relative status does not allow for dependants. A U.S. citizen, who is at least 21 years old, can sponsor both his parents and siblings. However, the applications are two separate petitions. The parents of U.S. citizens are considered immediate relatives and do not need to wait for a visa number to become available. Siblings, on the other hand, must wait for a visa number to become available, which can be as long as 10 years, or longer.
6. MYTH - Applicants who have lived in the United States for at least 15 years and are 50 years or older are not required to take an exam.
FACT - The law is that if you are 50 years or older and have lived in the United States as a Permanent Resident for the past 20 years, or if you are 55 years or older and have lived in the United States as a Permanent Resident for the past 15 years, you do not have to take the English language portions of the exam. You will, however, have to take the civics exam in your own language as well as bring a translator to the interview. Also, applicants 65 years and older who have lived in the United States for 20 years or more take a simplified civics test in their native language
6. MYTH - The civics exam questions are taken from the first 10 questions on the study guide.
FACT - Although this is possible, the reality is that almost any one of the 100 questions from the study guide could be asked and all should be studied. These questions can be found here.
7. MYTH - Passing the civics and English exams means that you are now a citizen.
FACT - You do not become a citizen simply by virtue of passing the exam. This only takes you to the next step of the naturalization interview, which involves questions about the information given on the Application for Naturalization. The final step will involve attending an oath ceremony, taking the oath and receiving your naturalization certificate. Naturalization will occur on the assumption that USCIS has been given no reason to deny you citizenship between the time of the exam and the day of the oath ceremony. Some of the reasons naturalization may not occur include disqualifying criminal conviction(s), fraud, arrests made since the time of the interview, and disqualifying travel made outside of the United States.
8. MYTH - Re-entry permits excuse trips longer than one year for naturalization purposes.
FACT - Re-entry permits allow you to come back into the United States for any trip longer than one year, but do not excuse the trip for purposes of naturalization. An applicant must still meet the physical presence requirement.
9. MYTH - Canadian citizens are no longer able to drink their beloved Canadian ales after naturalizing as a U.S. citizen!
FACT - Canadians who naturalize in the United States can still drink Canadian ales after they are naturalized and even during their time as a Lawful Permanent Resident!
