The U.S. citizenship test is getting harder. Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced changes to the naturalization test that immigrants must pass. The old test came from a bank of 100 possible questions; applicants were given ten of those questions, and had to answer six correctly to pass. The new test includes 128 possible questions; applicants are given twenty of those questions, and must get twelve correct to pass. And some of the acceptable answers have narrowed.
The Trump administration has said that it's important for immigrants to face high standards before earning citizenship. Critics say the new test is consistent with the administration's goal of reducing legal immigration.
Our guests:
- Michael Oberg, distinguished professor of history at SUNY Geneseo, and director of the Geneseo Center for Local and Municipal History
- Mari Tsuchiya, Rochester resident who immigrated to the United States from Japan
*You can read Professor Oberg's piece on this subject here.
