US Emphasizes Naturalization
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Citizenship has been a major topic of conversation and debate in the United States in recent years. There is an even larger debate on how to address this issue, leaving many concerned for their loved ones who are seeking to obtain citizenship. There are many individuals in this country who are undocumented and have a desire to become a citizen in the United States. Recently, the Biden Administration has developed a new plan to promote citizenship through naturalization. The plan is called the Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization. The plan was created by varying government agencies including the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of State, Department of Labor, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, and the Social Security Administration. Together, they all make up the Naturalization Working Group. Here is a look at the new plan that has been put into place.
What is Naturalization?
Naturalization is the official process by which an individual can become a citizen in the United States. This process can be lengthy and has a number of requirements that are not always readily known. This new project will make this process more accessible to the public by making the information more convenient. This project is a major undertaking by the government agencies and will have multiple plans.
How Will It Work?
The interagency will execute its plan in a number of ways. The Naturalization Working Group (NWG) has developed three main components. The first part is the Immigrant, Community, and Education Outreach Initiative. This initiative will partner with different programs to raise awareness of the naturalization process. The government will also implement a social media strategy as a way to strategically reach specific demographics to raise awareness. There is also a plan to create a citizenship and integration grant program that will focus on people from marginalized communities.
The second component of the plan is promoting citizenship through capacity building and partnerships. Under this initiative, the Biden Administration will collaborate with the United States Postal Service to display and relay important information on citizenship. The government will also partner with The National Park Service and the Department of Homeland Security to spread information on the options available for noncitizens who are seeking a path to citizenship. The various partnerships will aid in the larger goal of increasing the number of individuals who are in this country undocumented to start the path to becoming a United States Citizen.
The third section of this plan is under citizenship, education, and inclusive language. The goal of this component is to get rid of the language barrier that is often standing in between noncitizens and their route to citizenship. This will be done by increasing the number of languages the citizenship study materials are printed in. They will also create more tools that will aid with the test preparation for the naturalization test. The Biden Administration is also looking into distributing education videos to public schools to increase information on citizenship. These plans will ultimately help those who are looking to become citizens.
Overall the new Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization hopes to create an easier path to citizenship especially among those from marginalized communities. Those involved have stated that, “We look forward to the work ahead in welcoming and supporting aspiring Americans and equipping them with the tools they need to be successful in their journey to citizenship, and beyond.” Let’s hope that with this new plan, the issue of immigration law is decreased in the United States.
