Would You Pass the US Citizenship Test?
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Among the hurdles that US citizenship applicants must clear is a test on American history and government.
The test typically consists of 10 questions selected from a list of 100 available on the Immigration and
Naturalization Service Web site, though questions other than those listed on the site may be included.
How would you do? These 10 questions are typical of those asked.
1. What do the stripes on the American flag represent?
2. Who said "Give me liberty or give me death"?
3. How many amendments are there to the Constitution?
4. How many representatives are in Congress?
5. Who becomes president if the president and the vice president both are unable to fulfill their duties?
6. Who is the current Chief Justice of the United States?
7. The Constitution requires a person to meet three criteria to become president. Name one of these criteria.
8. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
9. Who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner"?
10. How many times may a Congressman be reelected?
Answers
1. The original 13 states
2. Patrick Henry
3. 27
4. 435
5. The Speaker of the House of Representatives
6. John Roberts
7. A natural-born citizen of the US... at least 35 years old by the time the term begins... have lived in the US for
at least 14 years.
8. The Bill of Rights
9. Francis Scott Key
10. There is no limit.
Permanent Residency provides your wife with most of the benefits of citizenship, with a few notable
exceptions.
She has the right to work and pay taxes. Oh boy!
One difference is that she cannot vote in elections, which may be a big deal or not depending on your
personal philosophy on the subject.
Another difference is that a permanent resident cannot work for the US Government. So if your desire is to
have your wife working at the Post Office, she will need to become a naturalized citizen first.
By the way, your wife will be eligible to become a US citizen as a spouse of a US citizen in as little as three
years from the time she became a Permanent Resident.
One main reason for her to become a US citizen is if she wants to petition to bring other members of her
immediate family, such as her mother or father, or brothers or sisters, to America under a permanent visa.
She must be a US citizen in order to do so.
She can petition to bring her immediate family here under a tourist or visitor’s visa under her permanent
residency, but she cannot petition for permanent residency for them until she is a citizen.
Another difference between a permanent resident and a citizen is how you are handled in the event you are
convicted of a crime.
A felony is defined as a crime where the punishment for the crime, if convicted, is a year or more in prison.
A citizen who is convicted of a felony may serve a sentence and may lose certain citizenship rights such as
voting and the right to carry a firearm, but they do not lose their citizenship.
A permanent resident that is convicted of a felony has the same sentencing requirements as a citizen, but
after serving their sentence, they may lose their right to be in the United States, and may be deported.
I know of a man who has a Russian spouse whose wife likes to shoplift. If you followed the recent Wynona
Ryder shoplifting case, you are aware of the fact that she was convicted of a number of felonies.
If she had been a permanent resident rather than a citizen, Wynona may have been subject to deportation.
If this man’s Russian wife were to take more than $500.00 worth of goods from a store, she could be
prosecuted for grand theft, which is a felony. If she gets caught, she may be on a plane back home before
she knows it.
I am not excusing her behavior, but I’m only warning you of the consequences of certain behavior. Shoplifting,
or possession of controlled substances, or any other crime that may seem innocuous to someone, may still
be a felony, and may result in your wife’s deportation.
Consider yourself warned.
