Lidya Franco Madrigal and José Lemus Martínez left behind apathy and fear to become citizens and they achieved it in less time than they expected.
Lidya took the oath of allegiance to the United States minutes after passing the citizenship exam, and her husband did not have to wait a month to be called to make his sworn statement.
The processes to become a citizen in the United States are speeding up, and the demand for citizenship grows more every day, as reported by the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Lidya and José were born in Puruándiro, Michoacán. She is 55 years old; and he, 58. They have been married for more than two decades.
“We were young couples in Michoacán, then we left each other, we met again here in Los Angeles and we got married. Between the two of us, we have 12 children, 19 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter,” Lidya.
The two became residents during the Reagan Amnesty in the 1980s.
“It was out of sheer apathy that we had not become citizens,” she says, but her husband comments that they were also afraid because many friends told them that it was better that they not try to become citizens because they could lose their ‘card’ and they would be deported.
These fears led them to see the immigration lawyer, Sergio Siderman, who submitted both of their citizenship applications in April.
With the news that Lidya failed the citizenship exam in May, even though they took it in Spanish.
“They gave me another appointment for the exam, at the end of June. This time I tried harder and I didn’t fail any of the six questions they asked me,” she says.
Minutes later, the Mexican was already taking the oath at the offices of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in downtown Los Angeles.
“We were like 10 people at the ceremony,” he remembers.
And he also says that he left happy with his citizenship certificate in hand.
Her husband José was luckier because he passed the citizenship exam on the first try and he did it in English.
“No more questions, you’re done,” the officer told me in English.
Three days later, their ceremony took place at 6:30 in the morning at the USCIS offices in downtown Los Angeles.
“I left happy, thinking that now no one could deport me. Very easier than we thought. It made me want to cry,” says José.
The couple celebrated their naturalization twice.
“Now we regret not having applied for citizenship sooner,” say José and Lidya.
They add that the main gain obtained is that they feel safer in the country; and now they will be able to vote in the elections.
“Do not be afraid. They will have immense peace of mind and benefits that will change their lives and those of their loved ones,” adds Lidya, who works as a nursing assistant and her husband is a maintenance manager at a health clinic.
The couple lives in Long Beach. Both were workers on the front lines of the Covid-19 response.
José has already made the request for adjustment of status for a daughter, while Lidya will do the same for a brother.
The sooner the better
Attorney Siderman, who represented the cases of Lidya and José before USCIS, stated that all legal residents who have had their residence for five years or more, three years or more in the case of residents married to citizens, must begin the citizenship process. as soon as possible and without fear.
He explained that the immigration law is very generous but also changing and even though permanent residence is a great benefit, citizenship puts immigrants completely safe and protected by the Constitution of this country.
He noted that there are many tools for residents who begin their citizenship process such as specialized classes in history, civics and English.
What recommendations do you give to residents to help their process be more streamlined and everything goes well?
For your peace of mind, it is always good to have the legal help of a lawyer who is an expert in immigration law, but also maintain a clean record with no criminal record, be up to date with your tax payments and make sure that your i-400 form is perfectly well prepared. .
He added that It is highly recommended to answer the questions correctly and not lie in any of the answers..
As well as studying the exam questions; and at the time of the interview with a USCIS officer, appear calm, confident and prepared to respond.
Demand increases
USCIS reported that in fiscal year 2022, 967,500 people became United States citizens, an increase of 20% compared to the previous year.
This is also the highest number of naturalizations since 2008.
In this fiscal year 2023, as of June 7, USCIS has welcomed 588,900 new citizens.
They also reported that they have made significant progress in reducing the naturalization backlog.
In the Los Angeles and San Fernando offices, the average citizenship processing time is 7.5 to 8 months; and throughout all offices in the country it is six months.
Free help
Other options where they help you with your citizenship application are offered by organizations such as NALEO, Carecen and the public libraries of the city of Los Angeles.
At NALEO call 888-839-8682 to be told when they have free workshops to fill out the N-400 form