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VIETNAMESE REFUGEES BECOME AMERICAN CITIZENS
APPLYING FOR CITIZENSHIP
APPLYING FOR CITIZENSHIP
When they reached the United States, Vietnamese immigrants used family-sponsored pathways to become lawful permanent residents (LPR), also known as green-card holders. After maintaining LPR status for five years, they could formally apply for U.S. citizenship (Batalova).
ADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
In 1980, an estimated 60,000 Southeast Asian immigrants were expected to apply for citizenship by the end of the year. Preparing for this influx in test takers, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) called on local agencies to offer special classes to prepare refugees for the oral exam that would question them on government and U.S. history. The agencies offered classes in Vietnamese and offered mock interviews where refugees could practice conversing in English (Sendor).
CHALLENGES
CHALLENGES
Although the United States promoted services that would help Vietnamese immigrants obtain American citizenship, the nation failed to revise some naturalization obstacles. The INS offered the "50/20" exception which allowed immigrants over 50 years old who had lived in the United States for at least 20 years to take the exam in their native language (“Exceptions and Accommodations”). All other refugees who had just arrived were required to take the exam in English. This requirement was especially challenging for elderly Vietnamese applicants who spent most of their time speaking Vietnamese at home instead of English in public (Sendor).
NATURALIZATION AMONG ALL IMMIGRANTS
NATURALIZATION AMONG ALL IMMIGRANTS
Pulled from Congressional Research Service report on U.S. Naturalization Policy
The Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act in tandem with streamlined naturalization procedures enabled Vietnamese immigrants to achieve American citizenship relatively easily compared to other migrant groups. In the 1980s, people from Asian accounted for 47% of the naturalized citizens of the decade (Congressional Research Service). This proportion remains consistently high and eclipses all other regions recorded.
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