Speech #1010057122

Mr. Speaker. H.R. 1630 provides for the administrative naturalization of individuals who are applying for citizenship to the United States. This legislation. while technical in nature. addresses a very substantial concern that so many of all of our constituents have faced. and that is the problem of long backlogs in moving through the naturalization process once the time period for naturalization has been accomplished and the various requirements of naturalization have been met. delay often runs into the months and sometimes beyond a year before an individual can actually take his or her oath of allegiance to the United States and become a citizen. All of us have had the experience of being contacted as elections approach or as other opportunities which citizenship would provide occur in the lives of individuals. and we find ourselves unable to move the process forward because of the backlog resulting from the current system. and the current system is one which requires a twostep process. one within the Immigration and Naturalization Service. and second. in the U.S. district court. and this legislation is directed to change that process and to create a onestep option which will allow citizenship to be more expeditiously provided to those who qualify. Administration naturalization will restore the most vital elements of our system by which applicants receive naturalization: Employment opportu. nities. immigration petition rights with respect to relatives. travel opportunities. and most critically. the right to vote. Importantly. it does not change the criteria for citizenship. but merely changes the process by which those rights are achieved. Applicants continue to be required to fill out the necessary application forms. pass the tests on U.S. history and government and on the English language. but they will not be subject to the long delays involved in scheduling these matters for court approval. In this legislation. it is the applicant. not the government. who decides the place and the setting and the timeframe in which the application will be processed. The bill responds to the increased volume of applications for naturalization which have further exacerbated the problems of delay. In 1988. 241.000 persons were naturalized. compared to 157.000 in 1981. Other attempted remedies have not succeeded in ameliorating these delays. In 1981.