The Biden administration has announced plans to change the citizenship component of the citizenship test required for immigrants to become US citizens by changing multiple-choice answers and adding new material to cover.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to conduct a test next year with the goal of eventually changing the test, according to a report in the Federal Register published Wednesday.
“The naturalization test is an important step in becoming a U.S. citizen,” USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou said in a statement. “We welcome feedback and participation from stakeholders familiar with this important process as we continue to refine and update Civil Testing to ensure it meets industry testing standards.”
The current test requires applicants to answer six out of 10 questions correctly, with questions drawn from a bank of 100 possible questions. Questions are asked orally. The proposed new test displays questions on a tablet screen and applicants select an answer from four possible answers.
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Entrance area to USCIS Virginia headquarters.
(iStock)
The Federal Register notice also indicated that the trial will cover some new materials in addition to what is currently being tested.
“Much of the citizenship information on the test will be familiar to adult citizenship students and will be similar to the content of current citizenship exams,” it said. “The pilot test also includes new test items based on a design framework that includes external review by subject matter experts in test development.”
The report did not specify what new material would be included in the proceedings.
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A new U.S. citizen holds an American flag during a naturalization ceremony at the Treasury Department on July 3, 2013 in Washington.
(2013 Getty Images)
The Trump administration proposed its own changes to the test — keeping the oral administration but requiring the majority to answer 12 of the 20 questions correctly — but the Biden administration rejected those changes. canceled
The Biden administration is also considering a standardized English-speaking component of the test, in which applicants are asked to describe a series of photographs.
A woman takes the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services district office on January 28, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey.
(2013 Getty Images)
USCIS plans to recruit volunteers from community-based organizations to conduct the pilot test. The administration hopes to get about 1,500 participants in adult education classes to participate in the trial.
The trial is expected to last five months in 2023, with changes expected to take place in late 2024.