Fasten your Seat Belt and Become a U.S. Citizen! USCIS is having Drive-through Naturalizations

 Posted on July 09,2020 in Immigration

Who would have thought that you could become a U.S. citizen from the comfort of your car? With thousands of Naturalization Oath Ceremonies cancelled throughout the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS had to adapt and started scheduling drive-through ceremonies to swear in immigrants as American citizens.

With the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling in-person services at USCIS for months, those who had already passed their Naturalization interviews saw their ceremonies cancelled. For many immigrants, this was more than a mere inconvenience. For most, their naturalization ceremony is a symbol of the much awaited end of a long and difficult journey, but it is also a requirement to vote in U.S. elections, request a U.S. passport, serve in a jury, and petition certain family members. So most were surely thrilled when some USCIS offices finally started to reschedule oath ceremonies and modified their set up to prevent the spread of the virus. Immigrants pull into the assigned parking lot at the scheduled day and time, provide their identification to a USCIS officer wearing personal protective equipment, and get sworn in through their car window.

This modified process is only one example of how USCIS has had to adapt to cope with the pandemic, but we hope it’s not the last and, as we move forward, other accommodations are provided to prevent unnecessary delays for applicants.