(2) (15) The law provides that you may not be regarded as qualified for naturalization, if you knowingly committed certain offenses or crimes, even though you may not have been arrested. Have you ever, in or outside the United States: (4) knowingly committed any crime for which you have not been arrested?. (b) been arrested, cited, charged, indicted, convicted, fined or imprisoned for breaking or violating any law or ordinance, including traffic regulations?. If you answer "Yes" to (a) or (b), give the following information as to each incident. Yes No O Yes No (16) List your present and past membership in or affiliation with every organization, association, fund, foundation, party, club, society or similar group in the United States or in any other country or place, and your foreign military service. (If none, write "None.") (17) () Are you now, or have you ever, in the United States or in any other place, been a member of, or in any other way connected or associated with the Communist Party? (If "Yes", attach full explanation) Yes No (b) Have you ever knowingly aided or supported the Communist Party directly, or indirectly through another organization, group or person? (If "Yes", attach full explanation) O Yes No (c) Do you now or have you ever advocated, taught, believed in, or knowingly supported or furthered the interests of Communism? (If "Yes", attach full explanation) (18) During the period March 23, 1933 to May 8, 1945, did you serve in, or were you in any affiliated with, either directly or indirectly, any military unit, paramilitary unit, police unit, self-defense unit, vigilante unit, citizen unit, unit of the Nazi Party or SS, government agency or office, extermination camp, concentration camp, prisoner of war camp, prison, labor camp, detention camp or transit camp, under the control of or affiliated with: (a) the Nazi Government of Germany (b) any Government in any area occupied by, allied with, or established with the assistance or cooperation of, the Nazi Government of Germany? (19) During the period March 23, 1933 to May 8, 1945, did you ever order, incite, assist, or otherwise participate in the persecution of any person because of race, religion, national origin, or political opinion?. (20) Have you borne any hereditary title or have you been of any order of nobility in any foreign state? (year) Do you owe any Federal taxes? (b) Since becoming a permanent resident of the United States, have you: -filed an income tax return as a nonresident? .... (21) Have you ever been declared legally incompetent or have you ever been confined as a patient in a mental institution? (23) (a) My last Federal income tax return was filed. -failed to file an income tax return because you regarded yourself as a nonresident? (If you answer "Yes" to (a) or (b) explain fully.) (24) Have you ever claimed in writing, or in any other way, to be a United States citizen? (b) If male, have you ever left the United States to avoid being drafted into the Armed Forces of the United States? (28) Are you willing to take the full oath of allegiance to the United States? (See Instructions) (29) If the law requires it, are you willing: (a) to bear arms on behalf of the United States? (If "No", attach full explanation) (b) to perform noncombatant services in the Armed Forces of the United States? (If "No", attach full explanation) (c) to perform work of national importance under civilian direction? (If "No", attach full explanation) (30) () If male, did you ever register under United States Selective Service laws or draft laws? (b) Did you ever apply for exemption from military service because of alienage, conscientious objections, or other reasons? Yes No If "Yes," explain fully.... List the names, addresses, and occupations (or types of business) of your employers during the last 5 years. (If none, write "None.") (35) I have..... (Number) children: (Complete columns (a) to (h) as to each child. If child lives with you, state "with me" in column (h), otherwise give city and State of child's residence.) L. .want certificates of citizenship for those of my children who are in the U.S. and are under age 18 years that are named below. (Do) (Do Not) (Enclose $15 for each child for whom you want certificates, otherwise, send no money with this application.) (Write names of children under age 18 years and who are in the U.S. for whom you want certificates) If present spouse is not the parent of the children named above, give parent's name, date and place of naturalization, and number of marriages. NOTE CAREFULLY.-This application must be sworn to before an officer of the Immigration and Naturalization Service at the time you appear before such officer for examination on this application. AFFIDAVIT investigation ( I do swear that I know the contents of this application comprising Subscribed and sworn to before me by applicant at the preliminary pages 1 to 4, inclusive, and the supplemental forms thereto, No(s). ) at I certify that before verification the above applicant stated in my presence that he/she had (heard) read the foregoing application, corrections therein and supplemental form(s) and understood the contents thereof. (Naturalization examiner) Authority for collection of the information requested on this form and those forms mentioned in the instructions thereto is continued in Sections 328, 329, 332, 334, 335 or 341 of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1439, 1440, 1443, 1445, 1446 or 1452). Submission of the information is voluntary inasmuch as the immigration and nationality laws of the United States do not require an alien to apply for naturalization. If your Social Security number is omitted from a form, no right, benefit or privilege will be denied for your failure to provide such number. However, as military records are indexed by such numbers, verification of your military service, if required to establish eligibility for naturalization, may prove difficult. The principal purposes for soliciting the information are to enable designated officers of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to determine the admissibility of a petitioner for naturalization and to make appropriate recommendations to the naturalization courts. All or any part of the information solicited may, as a matter of routine use, be disclosed to a court exercising naturalization jurisdiction and to other federal, state, local or foreign law enforcement or regulatory agencies, Department of Defense, including any component thereof, the Selective Service System, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, Central Intelligence Agency, Interpol and individuals and organizations in the processing of the application or petition for naturalization, or during the course of investigation to elicit further information required by the Immigration and Naturalization Service to carry out its function. Information solicited which indicates a violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal or regulatory in nature may be referred, as routine use, to the appropriate agency, whether federal, state, local or foreign, charged with the responsibility of investigating, enforcing or prosecuting such violations. Failure to provide any or all of the solicited information may result in an adverse recommendation to the court as to an alien's eligibility for naturalization and denial by the court of a petition for naturalization. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 (per 100) Mr. SMITH of Texas. OK. This testimony goes on to say that the high rejection rates are due in part to the difficult INS naturalization forms N-400, G-325. Do you consider those forms to be unduly difficult? How many pages long are they? I would like to see one myself. Mr. NELSON. Well, we will provide those to you. We have lots of different forms and I don't know the numbers of pages. One thing, as I have mentioned in my testimony, that we did in legalization, and I think this carries on to others, I mean, the fact that not only did we put out preliminary draft regulations, we put out preliminary draft forms and got a lot of comments. That was very helpful. Maybe we can do more of that in some of the other areas. We constantly are revising them. I think that basic test is pretty simple, and intended to be. Mr. SMITH of Texas. Do you happen to know, I am just curious, how many pages long the standard N-400 or G-325 naturalization form is? Mr. NELSON. I do not. Mr. SMITH of Texas. How long it takes to fill it out or whatever? Mr. NELSON. No, I don't. Mr. Norton. Mr. SMITH of Texas. OK. Mr. NORTON. Our N-400, the application for citizenship itself, is about 3 pages long. Virtually all of the information that we require on the form is statutory: how long have you lived at a particular location, when you entered the country, who you are. The G-325 is just a biographical information sheet. It is 1 page long that asks you to name where you have lived, who your employers are, and who your family members are. Mr. SMITH of Texas. It sounds reasonable to me. But this testimony goes on to say that it is difficult for two possible reasons: one, the question how long have they lived in the United States has to be calculated in months, and they have to use black ink. I don't consider those to be hurdles that can't be overcome, quite frankly. And then it goes on to say that many applications have been rejected because they have been in blue ink and not black ink. Mr. NORTON. No, that is not true. Neither is the 33 percent figure. We have a highly variable rate depending on nationality to a degree, sometimes on location, and we are trying to change our procedures to go through standardized testing for naturalization applicants. That there is no subjectivity in the "no file" rate. But the 33 percent figure is inaccurate. We would be happy to provide you the national, nationwide figure. Mr. SMITH of Texas. You have answered the questions. I want to ask you one more, and I am just curious on this as well. That is, in regard to the test that is given for citizenship, is it true that you all furnish the questions and the answers ahead of time? Mr. NORTON. In the past that was not true. Mr. SMITH of Texas. Is it the 100 questions that I have read about? Mr. NORTON. No. It was subject to the discretion of the examiner as to what questions they ask to determine the knowledge of history and government and their English language knowledge. We are in the process of learning from our legalization experience and con verting to a standardized test, and yes, that is among our considerations. Shouldn't we provide the information in advance? Mr. SMITH of Texas. There is a statement here that says INS has always published a listing of the 100 questions that may be asked of the applicants. Have you published such a thing? Mr. NORTON. That is for the legalization applicants, the people converting to full permanent residence in the legalization program who also have to meet a reduced level of proof that they have some knowledge of English and history. Mr. SMITH of Texas. And you furnish not only the questions but I presume you furnish the answers as well? Mr. NORTON. Yes, we do. In fact, we are trying to standardize that program for naturalization to have uniform questions that we ask of everybody so there is no allegation of subjectivity. Mr. SMITH of Texas. Again, it seems to me that the hurdles aren't too high. But I thank you for your testimony. Mr. Chairman, no other questions. Mr. MORRISON. The gentleman from California. Mr. BERMAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a few questions on different subjects. If you have already gotten into them, please tell me at the beginning so I won't take up the time of the subcommittee covering an area that has already been discussed. Just on this last issue, I am wondering what your view is about shortening the period of time for naturalization. Mr. NELSON. I think there is some merit in that, Mr. Berman, as we, INS, has put together some draft legal immigration reform last year and again are pushing it through Mr. BERMAN. Was that in your bill last year? Mr. NELSON. Pardon me? Mr. BERMAN. Was that in your bill last year? Mr. BERMAN. Did you ever get a bill last year? Mr. BERMAN. No, I know we didn't get a bill. Did we ever get a bill from the administration? Mr. NELSON. Not a formal one, no. It was in the process when Congress adjourned, and we are hoping to get it back in the process now. But that is one of the things. We think it is worth looking at and I think there is some merit to that. Again, that ought to be part of an overall package. Mr. BERMAN. But as part of a legal immigration reform, your initial reaction is that a shortening of the time to 3 years would be appropriate? Mr. NELSON. That is correct. Mr. BERMAN. OK. Since we are having a vote on the rule, I will try and speed this along. Second, can you give me the figure on how many SAW applications have been approved as of today, April 15, some recent date? Mr. NELSON. I might ask Mr. Norton to do that. We must have a most current figure. Mr. NORTON. I do have a figure. I don't have it with me, Congressman. [The information follows:] |