Any immigrant who wants to be a U.S citizen has to go through a lengthy process with testing and background checks. Over the years it has gotten worse to the point that immigrants who want to be U.S citizens have to wait years to become one, and often they live in the U.S. and keep having to visit the embassy or immigration services within the city to renew their stay.
Many immigrants begin to build their life here by attending college and starting a job. They are legally able to be in the United States but are not considered a citizen. So if they start building a life in the United States, should that classify them as a citizen? Immigrants paid their own way through
college and found themselves work to start building a life; that’s basically what a citizen does. This should enable people to become U.S. citizens because they are integrating into American culture. However, if they are illegal then they shouldn’t, because they never got the okay to come to the U.S.
Recently a friend of mine who lives in California got his U. S citizenship. He came to the U.S to pursue higher education and he has been checking in with immigration services in the city every few years. After working as professor at a university for several years as well as a dance instructor, he was finally able to become a citizen which led him to being able to rent his own apartment. The process to become a citizen took him years, but if the government had accepted that he had a stable job and a permanent residence then he would have been classified a citizen a long time ago.
Both of my parents are immigrants. I’m first generation American. My dad came from Cuba and coming from that country meant he was legally able to be in that country once his foot touched American soil. Later on he got his citizenship within a year or two. My mother came from Mexico and was on student visa to study in Colorado, and within two to three years she got her citizenship. Today it can possibly take twice as long to get a citizenship. If an immigrant who has a green card can pay their way through school and maintain a stable job then that qualifies them to be citizens. That is the American dream and if they reached it then they should be allowed to keep it.
