9781119766735

TERM	PRICE	DUE
SEMESTER	$26.72	Aug 02
QUARTER	$25.38	Jul 19
SHORT TERM	$24.05	Jun 21

Become a U.S. immigration wiz with this hands-on and practical guide to U.S. citizenship

In U.S. Citizenship For Dummies, expert citizenship and ESL instructor Jennifer Gagliardi walks you through the ins and outs of the complicated process of obtaining citizenship in the United States. From preparing for test day to understanding the interview process and learning about recent changes to immigration laws, this book demystifies the legal process of transforming a foreign national into a citizen of the U.S.

In this book, you’ll get:

Up-to-date info on the various application and immigration forms you’ll need to complete to become a citizen
Needed preparation for the all-important interview
Complete coverage of the different visas and green cards available to foreign nationals and how you can qualify for them

Whether you’re an immigrant-to-be who’s interested in becoming an American citizen, or you’re already a citizen but you want to bone up on U.S. history, government, and civics knowledge, U.S. Citizenship For Dummies is the perfect guide to the procedural and substantive knowledge you need to understand the American immigration system.

Jennifer Gagliardi been teaching ESL/Citizenship at Milpitas Adult School since 2002. In 2007, she launched US Citizenship Podcast (uscitizenpod.com), which distributes citizenship resources and immigration news. She regularly presents workshops on the intersection between citizenship and technology at national, state, and regional adult education conferences.

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Pursuing Immigration and Citizenship 5

Chapter 1: The Joys of Becoming a U.S Citizen 7

Determining Whether You Really Want to Become a U.S Citizen 7

What you lose 8

What you gain 8

Your rights and responsibilities as a U.S citizen 9

Mapping Your Way to America: Typical Ways People Immigrate to the U.S. 10

Reuniting with your family 12

Pursuing employment opportunities 13

Winning the visa lottery 16

Documenting Your Immigration Status 17

Just visiting 17

Here to stay 19

Joining the club: Naturalization 20

Making Sense of the Immigration Process 22

Doing the paperwork 22

Proving your identity 22

Being Interviewed by the USCIS 23

Interviewing for a green card 24

Obtaining U.S citizenship 26

Recognizing Permanent and Temporary Bars to Naturalization 27

Attending Your Swearing-In Ceremony 29

Receiving your Certificate of Naturalization 30

Chapter 2: Meeting the Officials Who Can Help You on Your Quest 33

Understanding the Goals of the U.S Immigration System 33

Identifying the Major Players and Their Roles in the Immigration System 34

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 35

U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 37

U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 37

The Department of State 38

State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs 38

State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration 40

The Department of Labor (DOL) 41

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) 41

Chapter 3: Finding Out about Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas 43

Just Visiting: Nonimmigrant Visas 44

Determining whether you need a visa 44

Discovering the common types of nonimmigrant visas 45

Changing or adjusting your nonimmigrant status 46

Gaining Permanent Resident Status (or a Green Card) 49

Understanding the family preference categories 49

Marrying your way to permanent residence 49

Using family connections 53

Identifying exceptions to the sponsorship requirements 55

Working for a Green Card 56

Making sense of employment preference categories 57

Discovering Other Ways to Qualify for Permanent Residence 63

Immigrating through asylum 63

Looking for safe refuge 64

Investing in the United States 65

Winning the green-card lottery 69

Waiting for a Visa 70

Chapter 4: Filling Out the Forms 71

Understanding the Process of Becoming a U.S Citizen 71

Step 1: Are you already a U.S citizen? 72

Step 2: Are you eligible to become a U.S citizen? 72

Step 3: Prepare your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization 72

Step 4: Submit your Form N-400 and pay your fees 73

Step 5: Go to your biometrics appointment, if applicable 74

Step 6: Complete the interview 75

Step 7: Receive a decision from USCIS on your Form N-400 75

Step 8: Receive a notice to take the Oath of Allegiance 76

Step 9: Take the Oath of Allegiance to the United States 76

Step 10: Understanding U.S citizenship 77

Using USCIS Tools and Forms 77

Your citizenship tool belt 78

Creating a USCIS online account 79

Applying for Citizenship: Form N-400 81

Some helpful info before you begin 81

N-400 Parts 1 to 11: Personal Information 82

N-400 Part 12: Additional Information 87

N-400 Parts 13–18: Signatures 88

Other Common Forms 90

Submitting Your Application 93

Organizing your files 96

After you file 96

Part 2: Doing the Interview, Getting Help, and Following the Rules 97

Chapter 5: Acing Your Naturalization Interview 99

Who Needs to Interview with the USCIS? 99

Age exemptions 100

Disability exemptions 101

Passing Your Naturalization Interview 101

Arriving prepared 102

Giving yourself the best chance for success 103

Practicing for the Big Three: Reading, writing, and speaking English 104

Getting ready for the interview 106

A typical citizenship interview 107

Studying for the civics test 110

Helping your family prepare for their interview 110

Communicating with the USCIS 112

Following Up: What Happens After the Interview 113

Taking the Oath of Allegiance 113

Taking care of a few more important tasks 115

Chapter 6: Keeping on Top of Changes in Immigration Law 117

Understanding the Post-9/11 Changes to the

Immigration System 118

Overhauling Immigration Laws in 1990 119

Understanding the Significance of the 1996 Immigration Law Changes 120

Getting tougher on crime 120

Updates to USCIS Form N-400, Application for Naturalization 121

Proving you won’t be a burden to the system 122

Protecting America’s borders 123

Recognizing Helpful Immigration Law Changes 123

Staying Abreast of Changes in Immigration Law 125

Chapter 7: Getting Help When You Need It 127

Recognizing When You Need Professional Help 127

Seeking Professional Help 129

Knowing the warning signs to watch out for 129

Consulting an immigration attorney 130

Reaching for a helping hand: Nonprofit immigration organizations 131

Taking advantage of free immigration help from the government 133

Taking citizenship test-prep classes 133

Chapter 8: Troubleshooting Immigration Glitches 135

Communicating with the USCIS 135

Registering changes 137

Changing appointments 138

Filing a complaint 138

Dealing with Rejection and Appealing USCIS Decisions 139

Naturalization rejections 139

Demonstrating Good Moral Character 141

Avoiding Removal 143

Understanding the reasons for removal 143

Appealing removal decisions 144

Part 3: Exploring U.S History, Government, and Culture 145

Chapter 9: U.S History in a Nutshell, Part I: Pre-U.S to World War I 147

Before We Were the United States 148

Native Americans 148

Migrating to the New World 148

Finding out about the American colonies 149

Recognizing the “lucky thirteen” 151

Forming a New Country 151

Understanding the events leading to the Revolutionary War 151

Resisting tyranny: The colonists unite and fight 152

Declaring independence from England 153

Establishing the new nation 154

Growing a nation 156

Warring after the Revolution 159

Expanding the Country’s Borders 160

Engaging in Civil War 163

Before the Civil War: Contributing factors and compromises 163

The strengths of the North and South 165

The war between the states 166

Reconstruction after the Civil War 167

Entering the Industrial Revolution 168

The importance of immigrants to a growing nation 168

The rise of labor unions 170

Chapter 10: U.S History in a Nutshell, Part II: World War I to the Present 173

The World War I Years 174

The causes behind World War I (The Great War) 174

U.S participation in the Great War 175

The Treaty of Versailles 176

Surviving the Great Depression 178

The World War II Years 180

Choosing sides: The Axis and the Allies 181

The United States under attack: Pearl Harbor 182

“Relocating” citizens: Japanese internment in World War II 183

Fighting Germany and Japan 184

The effects of World War II 186

The Cold War Years 186

Fighting communism: The Cold War between the world’s superpowers 187

Battling communism in Asia: The Korean War 187

The Vietnam War 188

The Civil Rights Movement 190

Understanding the U.S Today 192

Important recent historical events from the late 1960s to the 1990s 192

Trouble in the Middle East: The Gulf War 194

Historical events of the 21st Century 194

Chapter 11: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution 197

Announcing the Birth of a New Nation: The Declaration of Independence 198

Leading up to the Declaration: The colonists’ complaints 198

What the Declaration says 199

The Supreme Law of the Land: The Constitution 201

What the Constitution says 201

Constitutional articles 203

The Bill of Rights 204

Constitutional amendments 206

Chapter 12: Understanding the United States Federal Government 209

How the U.S Government Works 210

The Duties and Functions of the Executive Branch 211

The president 211

The vice president 211

The Cabinet and executive departments 212

Independent agencies 213

The Duties and Functions of the Legislative Branch 214

The United States Congress 215

Congressional leadership 215

How laws are passed 216

Congressional committees 217

Meeting your senators 217

Meeting your representatives 218

The Duties of the Judicial Branch 219

The federal court system 220

The ultimate constitutional authority: The Supreme Court 221

Chapter 13: Looking at State and Local Governments 223

Capitals and Capitols 224

State Governments 226

State government structure 227

The responsibilities of state governments 230

Citizens’ responsibilities to their states 231

State constitutions 231

Local Governments 232

Chapter 14: Celebrating U.S Holidays and Observances 235

Federal Holidays 235

New Year’s Day 236

Martin Luther King Jr Day 237

Presidents’ Day 237

Memorial Day 238

Juneteenth 238

Independence Day 238

Labor Day 239

Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples’ Day 239

Veterans’ Day 239

Thanksgiving 240

Christmas 240

Ten More Important Civic Holidays 241

Inauguration Day 241

Census Day 241

Income Tax Day 241

Flag Day 242

Women’s Equality Day 242

State Admissions Day 242

9/11 242

Constitution and Citizenship Week 243

Election Day 243

Bill of Rights Day 243

Heritage Months 243

February: Black History Month 243

March: Women’s History Month 244

March: Irish-American Heritage Month 244

April: Arab American Heritage Month 244

May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 244

May: Jewish American Heritage Month 244

June: Immigrant Heritage Month 245

June: LGBTQI+ Pride Month 245

June: Caribbean American Heritage Month 245

Mid-September to Mid-October: Hispanic Heritage Month 245

October: Filipino American History Month 246

October: German American Heritage Month 246

October: Italian American Heritage Month 246

November: Native American Heritage Month 246

Chapter 15: Emblems of America 247

The Flag: Old Glory 247

The symbolism and significance of the flag 247

Displaying the flag 248

Half-staff rules 250

Caring for the flag: Important etiquette 251

The Pledge of Allegiance 253

The National Anthem 254

Other American Anthems 255

America (My Country, ’Tis of Thee) 255

America the Beautiful 255

God Bless America 256

This Land Is Your Land 256

Lift Every Voice and Sing 256

Investigating American Icons 257

The Great Seal 257

The national bird 258

The national motto 259

American Monuments 259

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island 259

The Liberty Bell and the President’s House 260

The National Mall 261

Chapter 16: Civic Life 263

The Rights and Duties of Everyone Living in the United States 263

Participating in democracy 264

Volunteering 265

The Rights and Duties of U.S Citizens 266

Part 4: Practicing for the Citizenship Tests 269

Chapter 17: Preparing for the English Test 271

Building Your Vocabulary 271

Brushing Up on Your Reading and Writing 273

Working through USCIS Form N-400 274

Getting familiar with the N-400 275

Getting off to a good start 276

What, where, and when? 276

Part 12 Additional Information Subsections 277

Part 12 key words and common concepts 278

More Part 12 key words 280

Part 12:45-50: Attachment to the Constitution 281

Understanding Key Words in the Oath of Allegiance 283

Chapter 18: Preparing for the Civics, Reading, and Writing Tests 287

Keeping Current 287

Current events 288

National, state, and local governments 288

Quizzing Yourself on Civics 289

As easy as 1, 2, 3 289

Two quizzes about the three branches 291

The important Americans quiz 293

The citizen responsibilities quiz 295

Preparing for Your USCIS Interview: The 100 Questions! 296

Two quick questions before you begin 296

American Government 297

American History 304

Integrated Civics 307

The Reading and Writing Tests 310

Part 5: The Part of Tens 315

Chapter 19: Ten Tips to Help You Pass Your Naturalization Interview 317

Be On Time 317

Present Yourself Favorably 318

Listen Carefully 318

Answer the Right Questions 319

Know Your Application 319

Be Prepared 319

Know Your Stuff 320

Bring What You Need 320

Be Honest and Honorable 320

Treat Immigration Officers with Respect 321

Chapter 20: Ten Things That Can Hurt Your Naturalization Case 323

Perpetrating Fraud 324

Participating in Subversive Activities 324

Supporting Violence, Terror, and Participating in War Crimes 324

Committing a Crime 324

Doing Drugs 325

Behaving Poorly (Even If You’re Not Breaking a Law) 325

Unlawfully Staying in the United States 325

Failing to Register with the Selective Service (If You’re a Male) 326

Failing to Meet Deadlines 326

Abandoning Your Application 327

Chapter 21: Ten Important American Heroes 329

George Washington 329

Benjamin Franklin 330

Thomas Jefferson 331

James Madison 332

Alexander Hamilton 333

Abraham Lincoln 334

Susan B Anthony 335

Woodrow Wilson 338

Franklin Delano Roosevelt 338

Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower 339

Martin Luther King, Jr. 340

Part 6: Appendixes 343

Appendix A: The Declaration of Independence 345

Appendix B: The United States Constitution 349

Appendix C: Document Checklist 363

Index 365

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

U.S. Citizenship For Dummies

U.S. Citizenship For Dummies

1119766737

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review