"
...It is an opportunity to improve the long-term prospects for eco- nomic growth, enhance the skills of the U.S. labor force, and aug- ment the flexibility of the Nation's labor market," the letter reads. The U. S. Chamber of Commerce, in a open letter to the United States Senate in late June, supported the bill that was then being con- sidered and was eventually approved, calling it "a strong positive step." The letter goes on to say that the changes outlined in the Senate bill would transform America's immigration system into one that "drives job
creation...by both better meeting the needs of employ- ers, and better utilizing the unique talents of people here and abroad."
What You Can Do Now
USCIS representatives say those who think they meet the cri- teria for U.S. citizenship should first begin by contacting govern- ment agencies. "I do encourage people to get their information from the official source in terms of what's coming out—[log-on to]
uscis.gov,
whitehouse.gov.," said Nicholson. Are you eligible to become a United States Citizen? Here are the requirements:
• Be 18 years or older. • Be a green card holder for five years.
• Have lived in the jurisdiction where applying for 3 months. • Have lived in U.S. for 5 years. • Be physically present in the U.S. in the 30 months prior to applying. • Reside continuously in the U.S. from the time of applying to the time of naturalization.
• Be able to speak, read and write English. • Have knowledge of U.S. history and government. • Be a person of good moral character and attached to the principles of the Constitution.
Citizenship Success Story Each month we hope to end our Pathway to Citizenship feature with a success story. Some of those stories will be about well-known people, others will focus on everyday folks. The people we profile will be of all ethnicities and religions and will have arrived here from all over the globe.
This month our citizenship success story focuses on Emilio
Estefan. The Grammy Award-winning, Cuban-born music pro- ducer and songwriter is the husband of Gloria Estefan, the iconic Latin singer.
A few years ago, Emilio and Gloria were the recipients of the
B.C. Forbes Peopling of America award given by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. After leaving Cuba as children in the 1960s, they both decided to become American citizens in the mid 1970s. This year, to help with the efforts to preserve the Statue of Liberty, Emilio
showed his heart-felt patriotism by sending out an
email message as a member of the Foundation's Board to mark the reopening of the Statue of Liberty, damaged during Hurricane Sandy. Emilio summed up his love of America this way, "We are all Americans, living in the best country in the world! Let's never for- get that and never take our freedom for granted...I am so grateful to this country that I have adopted and embraced and which has adopted and embraced me right back."
Saida Rodriguez Pagán is an award-winning broadcast journal-
For more what it takes to become a United States citizen, log on to:
uscis.gov and click on "Citizenship Through Naturalization." But before you check out your eligibility, take the quiz below.
Here are this month's Saludos Citizenship Test Questions: 1. What is the supreme law of the land? 2. How many senators are there?
3. Under the Constitution some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
4. What is one reason colonists came to America? 5. Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States.
S A L U D O S H I S P A N O S
ist, writer, educator and on-camera performer who has appeared in more than 45 television episodes and nearly a dozen movies. She welcomes your comments and suggestions:
saidapagan@att.net.
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