Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement is proud to announce
that we are working hard to unveil a citizenship preparation program. The
curriculum for the class is being created with the help of two interns, one
from University of Portland and the other from Warner Pacific College. With
their help, we are hoping to have the class ready to start early next year.
Why a citizenship class?
Refugees who are resettled in America are eligible to apply
for citizenship five years after arrival. A refugee who receives government
benefits such as food stamps, social security or TANF (temporary assistance for
needy families) have to become a citizen within their first seven years to
retain these benefits.
If a child is under 18 when their parent applies for
citizenship, they will automatically become a citizen when their parent passes
the test. If a child turns 18 before the parent applies, they will have to take
the test individually.
What is the citizenship test?
The citizenship test is comprised of two portions- English
and United States civics. The civics portion includes US history from the
Indians to September 11, 2001; as well as questions on the basic functions of
our government and the major players. There are one hundred possible questions
that the applicant is asked to study, but they only need to answer six out of
ten correctly. Some of the questions are simple, for example: who is the president
of the United States right now? Other questions are more difficult like: name
two cabinet level positions.
The English portion is mostly verbal, but there is also a
written section. This portion starts
immediately as the applicant meets their interviewer. It typically starts with
small talk as the applicant and interviewer walk to the interview room with
questions like, “how did you get here today,” or “is it cold outside?” When the
interview has officially started, the interviewer will ask questions about the
applicant’s application form to check that the information is correct and to
continue to test the applicant’s verbal ability. Questions like: “you used to
live on Pine Street, but now you live on Maple Grove?” These questions can be a
little tricky.
The written section consists of writing one of three
sentences that is read out loud. The words used in the sentences are vocabulary
words from the civics portion of the test. An example of a sentence the
applicant may be asked to write is, “George Washington was the first
president.”
How you can help?
When the curriculum is finalized, Catholic Charities will be
looking for volunteers to help run the classes.
If you are interested in this or want to know more, please
contact Emily at ereznicek@catholiccharitiesoregon.org
or 503-688-2684.
