US Citizenship Podcast

After a long hiatus, we are back with regular podcasts that feature questions from the new USCIS N-400 Application for Naturalization. In honor of the Bill of Rights Day, December 15, we are pairing the first ten amendments with some questions from the new N-400 Part 9 and some Civics questions. Here is a pdf of the A Quick Review of the Bill of Rights and the N-400 (2024) Part 9 plus Civics Questions. Image: Bill of Rights depicted in cartoon format from 1971 Young Citizen teacher’s guide transparency. Courtesy: Syracuse University. CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE and for teacher printable version. Before we begin, there are four news items: 1) On September 20, USCIS released their new “One Nation, One People: Civics Test Textbook” for adults preparing to naturalize. In support of their commitment 2gen civic literacy, USCIS also released “Color Me Civics: U.S. Landmarks and Symbols Coloring Book” in English and Spanish. You can download these free resources from USCIS. 2) Two new N-400 (2024) Part 9 resources: · Pearson ELT USA Team just release a free pdf of the UPDATED Naturalization Speaking Test from Voices of Freedom by Bill Bliss. Download the test practice. · New Readers Press has just posted a new “Tricky Vocabulary” handout (for explaining vocabulary in the new N-400 part 9): . This resource complements Citizenship: Passing the Test Ready for the Interview Student Book 4th Edition by Lynn Weintraub 3) On December 13, LINCS.ed.gov The 2024 Naturalization Fee Reduction Webinar with Shawn Chakrabarti, a former Education Specialist with the office of Citizenship, USCIS. Mr. Chakrabarti explained the USCIS naturalization fee structure, highlighting that 9.2 million people are eligible for citizenship, with 4 million likely having limited English proficiency. He detailed the new fee waiver and reduction rules, noting that 80% of LPRs may qualify for fee reductions. Mr. Chakrabarti emphasized the importance of detailed student intakes, partnering with legal service providers, and leveraging digital literacy to navigate the new fee rules. He also encouraged commenting on Federal Register notices to influence future policies. Although this webinar was not recorded, detailed notes and resources are available on LINCS.ed.gov Civics Education and Citizenship Group under the “FOLLOW UP: 12/13 The 2024 Naturalization Fee Reduction Webinar.” 4) Finally, a petition titled, Call to Codify Improvements to U.S. Naturalization Test, hosted on the TESOL Advocacy Action Center. The petition asks USCIS to codify two items in the Federal Register: · Intermediate low level of English is the fair and appropriate level for the civics and speaking test. · The speaking test which is based on eligibility interview with an USCIS officer should be limited to basic questions. For complex questions, applicants may use interpreters. With just one click, you can virtually sign the petition, which is immediately sent to your US representative and both senators. Please sign this petition immediately to protect the fairness of the Naturalization interview. Thank you! I know that you will be a GREAT American Citizen! This podcast is copy righted by Jennifer Gagliardi and US Citizenship Podcast and may not be remixed or re-used.

In honor of Hispanic American Heritage Month, we are featuring a N-400 practice interview wth Alecia from Colombia. pagevideo playlistpage

Practice Citizenship interview with Sofia from Morocco. A “Typical” Citizenship Interview Based on the USCIS N-400r (4 pages) https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/n-400r-typical.pdf USCIS 100 Remix Quizzes "Ones" 01, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81, 91 http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q01s.pdf "Twos" 02, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72, 82, 92 http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q02s.pdf "Threes" 03, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, 83, 93 http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q03s.pdf

In late September, DHS and USCIS released new resources about the Naturalization Test Redesign. This prompted updated commentary from VOA News, ILRC, Bill Bliss, and other stakeholders. In order to address and clarify to redesign process, USCIS will be hosting NIICE: National Immigrant Integration & Citizenship Education Conference, October 18-19, in Washington D.C. Plus resources to contact CONGRESS about the potential Government shutdown. And a QUICK CITIZENSHIP QUIZ that connects the Constitution, the Fed Code, and Adult Education. 7/19/2023 Naturalization Test Redesign Resources (DHS, USCIS) DHS Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman July 19, 2023 Engagement with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on the Naturalization Test Redesign Initiative July 19, 2023 Naturalization Test Redesign Updates Power Point Presentation July 19, 2023 Naturalization Test Redesign Initiative ReadoutJuly, 19, 2023 USCIS and Office of CIS Ombudsman's Webinar Series: Naturalization Test Redesign UpdatesVIDEO! USCIS Naturalization Test Redesign Development 2022LINCSCitizenship News 9/19/2023: Citizenship Test Changes Might Require Better English Skills, VOA “Possible changes to the naturalization interview would make civics questions multiple choice to “reflect current best practices in test design,” USCIS said in a document explaining the update to the test. Schmelzer said that would make the test harder for immigrants who may not have a great understanding of American history or English.” Article includes audio and quiz. You can watch a sub-titled video of VOA Learning English Podcast for Wednesday September 20, 2023. The Citizenship story starts at 11:08. Appropriate for intermediate ESL adult learners. 09/20/2023 USCIS Naturalization Test Redesign – Flaws in Design and Transparency, ILRC free9/20 USCIS Naturalization Test Redesign transcript9/22 USCIS Naturalization Test Redesign — Flaws in Design and Transparency 10/17/2023 to 10/18/2023 NIICE: National Immigrant Integration & Citizenship Education Conference: THE ROAD TO ACCESS AND INCLUSION, USCIS Headquarters, Camp Springs, MD NIICE website information and registration tabsNIICEConference@uscis.dhs.gov. Resources to Contact CONGRESS about the Potential Government Shutdown Voice of America (VOA) US NewsVOA US Immigration NewsVOA Learrning EnglishHouse.govSenate.govuscitizenpod: Who are my U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative? uscitizenpod: National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week Civics Quiz

Happy Constitution and Civics Week! Ten civics questions that follow the structure of the US Constitution. PDF: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/const-2023.pdf Video: https://youtu.be/41-1oMXHIvI Learn more at LINCS: Civics Resources for Constitution and Citizenship Week https://bit.ly/lincs-const uscitizenpod: U.S. Citizenship Resources for Constitution and Citizenship Week https://bit.ly/uscit-const

All Saints and Day of the Dead are part of a 3-day festival that remembers the lives of those who passed before us in 2022. quiz pdf mp3 audio mp4 video More U.S. Citizenship Resources for Halloween, All Saints, and Day of the Dead

Ten questions for Constitution and Citizenship Week 2022 Download a pdf of this quiz: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/const-2022.pdf Pair this 10 Question civics quiz with one of the Mix-and-Match Citizenship Interviews (https://bit.ly/mm-uscitizen) for a quick mock naturalization interview. Find more Constitution and Citizenship Week 2022 resources at https://www.uscitizenpod.com/p/us-citizenship-resources-for.html Find more Citizenship Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month 2022 https://www.uscitizenpod.com/p/us-citizenship-resources-for-hispanic.html

Happy Pascha! A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Eastern Orthodox Christian Americans pdf: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/pascha-quiz.pdf I wrote this quiz for several reasons. First, to honor Central/Eastern European-American Heritage. Second, to showcase the diversity in the American Christian community. Third, to celebrate Easter. In the past, Western Christians and the Eastern Orthodox have been divided by religion, history, and politics, but as Americans, we are united as one people, and this year, we are celebrating Easter on the same day. This is recording is an update of a 2017 podcast featuring Branka and her husband Tony, both of whom were from the former Yugoslavia by way of Canada. Branka was a longtime colleague who at the time worked as a Projects Coordinator for OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK (otan.us) and had recently became a new US citizen. She then moved on to lead the Capital Adult Education Consortium. In late 2021, she and her family returned to Serbia where she continues to consult on Adult Education and digital literacy matters. Quiz answers: freedomyou can practice any religion or not practice a religionLouisiana TerritorySenate and the House of RepresentativesDianne FeinsteinJoe BidenKamala HarrisGavin NewsomDemocratic and Republican partiesadvises the PresidentRo Khannacivic group and join a community group EXTRA CREDIT: Listen to a great interview with Vlade Divac! StoryCorps: Vivek and Vlade: From New Arrivals To Kings http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/12/08/vivek-and-vlade-from-new-arrivals-to-kings/ Former Sacramento Kings center and current general manager Vlade Divac is interviewed by his boss, majority owner Vivek Ranadive, in this StoryCorps segment. They talk a little basketball but mostly focus on their shared experience as immigrants.

Happy Presidents' Week! Happy George Washington's Birthday! Happy 2-22-2022! Today we have two quick practice quizzes. Check back with uscitizenpod.com for new Presidents' Week quizzes and resources. You can also see a video version of this interview with closed captions on the uscitizenpod YouTube channel. Download the PDFs for this episode Citizenship Interview Quiz for Presidents’ Week 2022: Washington's Birthday Citizenship Interview: Series E / Practice 1 (voting/taxes) Mix-and-Match Citizenship Quiz: Name Two (or More) You can pre-order my new book, U.S. Citizenship for Dummies, by Jennifer Gagliardi at amazon.com and other fine booksellers.

Happy New Year from US Citizenship Podcast

Christmas is a federal U.S. holiday. Christians celebrate #Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ. All Americans look forward to a long holiday of family, food, and fun. Here is a #Citizenship Quiz based on historical events which occurred on Christmas Eve (Dec 24) or Christmas Day Dec (25). Download the pdf and follow along: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/christmas-quiz.pdf Video: https://youtu.be/oNIPSrSlKfk

All Saints and Day of the Dead are part of a 3-day festival that remembers the lives of those who passed before us. Twelve civics questions paired with the following Americans. Download the pdf at https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2021.pdf Check out all our new videos on the uscitizenpod YouTube channel

On July 2, 2021, USCIS released a new report: A Quick Review of the USCIS Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization. Dr. Patricia Hernandez and Teacher Jennifer Gagliardi do a quick review of the plan and look forward to it's implementation. USCIS Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization https://www.uscis.gov/promotingnaturalization Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/02/02/executive-order-restoring-faith-in-our-legal-immigration-systems-and-strengthening-integration-and-inclusion-efforts-for-new-americans/ Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization pdf https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/Interagency_Strategy_for_Promoting_Naturalization_Final.pdf Naturalization Policies Fact Sheet https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/fact-sheets/EXA_NatzPoliciesFactSheet_06292021_SP_V2.pdf LIST OF PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS https://bit.ly/cit-lawyer or https://www.justice.gov/eoir/list-pro-bono-legal-service-providers

Release Date 04/12/2021 WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) can now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online if they are filing under one of these categories: OPT is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before completing their academic studies (pre-completion) and/or after completing their academic studies (post-completion). Eligible F-1 students who receive STEM degrees may apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT. “USCIS remains committed to maximizing our online filing capabilities,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of USCIS Director Tracy Renaud. “The I-765 online filing option allows eligible students to file forms online in a more user-friendly fashion and increases efficiencies for adjudicators.” The option to file Form I-765 online is only available to F-1 students filing Form I-765 for OPT. If an applicant submits Form I-765 online to request employment authorization on or after April 15, but is eligible for a different employment authorization category, USCIS will deny the application and retain the fee. As USCIS continues to transition to paperless operations, the agency will work to expand online filing for Form I-765 to additional categories. Online filing allows applicants to submit forms electronically, check the status of their case anytime from anywhere, and receive notices from USCIS online instead of waiting for them in the mail. USCIS is using innovation and technology to meet the needs of applicants, petitioners and employees. Regardless of the paper or electronic format of an application or petition, USCIS is committed to ensuring a secure and efficient process for all. Individuals can file 11 USCIS forms online, which can all be found on the Forms Available to File Online page. To file these forms online, individuals must first create a USCIS online account at myaccount.uscis.gov. This free account allows them to: USCIS continues to accept the latest paper version of these forms by mail. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn. https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/f-1-students-seeking-optional-practical-training-can-now-file-form-i-765-online video: https://youtu.be/g0KlqlgS2Oc

Delia, a student of Dr. Patricia Hernandez, talks about her recent "virtual" citizenship interview

Dr Hernandez and Teacher Jennifer give tips about The Stressed-out USCIS Officer and More Tips for Your Citizenship Interview (in English) https://youtu.be/HnpGEtdmUhI El estrés de los oficiales de USCIS, y sugerencias que pueden facilitar su entrevista de ciudadanía https://youtu.be/5dqymNu9u1s US Citizenship Resources for Women's History Month https://www.uscitizenpod.com/

You will hear the announcement in English, Español, 廣東話,普通話, Tiếng việt 2021-02-22 USCIS Reverts to the 2008 Version of the Naturalization Civics Test https://youtu.be/BbgG43pEpnw https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-reverts-to-the-2008-version-of-the-naturalization-civics-test USCIS Vuelve a la Versión del 2008 del Examen de Educación Cívica para Naturalización https://www.uscis.gov/es/noticias/comunicados-de-prensa/uscis-vuelve-a-la-version-del-2008-del-examen-de-educacion-civica-para-naturalizacion 美國公民及移民服務局恢復為2008年版本的入籍公民測試 您只學習100個公民問題。 新的128個問題太難了！ 我們真高興！ 謝謝美國移民局！ USCIS Hoàn nguyên về Phiên bản 2008 của Bài kiểm tra Công dân Nhập tịch Bạn chỉ học 100 câu hỏi môn công dân. 128 câu hỏi mới quá khó! Chúng tôi rất vui! Xin cảm ơn USCIS! Thank you USCIS for listening to the people!

Before we start the interview, I share some news about the 128 civics questions (check with USCIS.gov for confirmation). Then Thao answers N-400 and 10 civics questions, plus 1 reading and dictation question. Happy New Year, Happy New U.S. Citizen Thao Nguyen! Citizenship Resources for February http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2021/02/us-citizenship-resources-for-february.html Biden Is Planning To Scrap Trump's Version Of The Citizenship Test That Critics Said Was More Confusing https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hamedaleaziz/biden-us-citizenship-test-change Biden Is Planning To Scrap Trump's Version Of The Citizenship Test! https://youtu.be/ELelLHy2ZLA

This is an extended N-400 Part 12 vocabulary review with Quynh. When she doesn't understand a questions, she asks for clarification. This interview is based on N-400r Part 12 Overview Quizhttp://goo.gl/3m3t7K

Nga Trans answers questions from the Basic Citizenship Interview, plus 10 Civics Questions, and then talks about her Citizenship interview.