The Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS, for its acronym in English) announced this Wednesday changes in the procedures to obtain citizenship that ease the requirements for applicants who have a physical or mental disability.
The agency's director, Ur M. Jaddou, said in a statement that the changes "remove barriers to naturalization."
The law states that immigrants who want to become US citizens and have a disability that prevents them from meeting the
English, history and civics
requirements can apply to be exempt from that part of the process.
I applied for the U Visa, for the permit and for the waiver, how can I find out my status?
Sept.
1, 202201:11
The form used for this (N.648) must be completed and certified by a doctor, according to the Efe news agency.
USCIS took public comments into account and adopted changes that the agency says "reduce the requirements for applicants and the agency by removing questions and noting that they are no longer practical or redundant."
The most notable changes include the removal of questions about how each relevant disability affects specific functions in the applicant's daily life, including their ability to go to work or school.
My 13-year-old son put fingerprints, his stepfather requested it, will they interview him?
Oct. 13, 202201:18
Also removed from the form
are the dates of diagnoses,
the description of the severity of each disability, and the question of whether the certifying medical professional had a pre-existing relationship with the applicant.
In addition, the revised form gives the medical professional the option of indicating whether the applicant needs to be waived from the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag.