Simplified exam and no English: how elderly immigrants pass the citizenship test

The older a person gets, the more difficult it is to learn a new language or memorize factual material. For this reason, US immigration laws allow older naturalization applicants to request lighter versions of English and civil law exams than most applicants require. The details of this rule were told by the publication Nolo.

Senior Citizenship Exam

Green card holders aged 65 and over who have lived in the United States as permanent residents for at least 20 years can take a simpler version of the history and civil law exam. This is commonly referred to as a 65/20 exception.

A person falling into this category will only need to learn 20 questions, not the much longer list of 100 questions that most job seekers face. The candidate will be asked ten of these 20 questions and will need to answer six correctly in order to pass the exam successfully.

You can view the full list of questions at website, an asterisk denotes questions that may be asked to those eligible for the 65/20 exception. By link there are questions for only 65/20 candidates.

Exceptions to the 50/20 and 55/15 English exam requirements

To become a naturalized US citizen, most applicants need to prove that they can speak, read, and write in English. This knowledge of the English language will be tested on a special test in the form of an interview. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer who interviews the person usually speaks to him or her in English and monitors how well the applicant answers questions. The officer will also ask the applicant to read a short piece of text aloud and write a dictation sentence.

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However, two separate rules allow seniors to completely avoid the requirement of proficiency in English and instead have an interview in their native language with the help of an interpreter. Please note that this does not mean that you can also avoid the civil law exam - you will still need to take it (or the abridged version if you also qualify for the 65/20 exception), but you will be able to take it in your native language. with a translation service.

If you are 50 years old and have lived in the United States as a green card holder (permanent resident) for at least 20 years, you may be interviewed for citizenship in your native language. This is commonly referred to as a 50/20 exception. These 20 years of permanent residence do not have to be continuous. If you have been outside the United States for short periods of time (less than six months in a row), it is okay if the total time you have spent in the United States is 20 years.

The second rule is known as the 55/15 exception. It says that if you are 55 years of age or older and have lived in the United States as a green card holder for at least 15 years, you can also take an interview and citizenship exam in your native language. Again, 15 years does not have to be continuous.

How to request an exemption from the English proficiency test

If you need an age-related exception, you can and must notify USCIS in advance. Fortunately, to inform USCIS, simply fill in the appropriate field on the citizenship application form. N-400 (part 2, question 13).

If you are requesting an English language exception, you must bring an interpreter with you to your interview. This may be a friend or relative, not a paid professional. However, make sure that the person is truly fluent in your native language and in English. Interpreting is more difficult than it sounds, and if the interpreter misleads you, it can lead to a failure at the interview.