Helping Elderly Refugees Become New Citizens in Seattle

As a VISTA volunteer with the International Rescue Committee in Seattle, part of my job is to help elderly refugees who resettle in the United States become U.S. citizens. This includes teaching fellow IRC volunteers about the naturalization test, matching tutors with refugees who need assistance, providing study materials and reaching out to refugees who are eligible for citizenship.

As a VISTA volunteer with the International Rescue Committee in Seattle, part of my job is to help elderly refugees who resettle in the United States become U.S. citizens. This includes teaching fellow IRC volunteers about the naturalization test, matching tutors with refugees who need assistance, providing study materials and reaching out to refugees who are eligible for citizenship.

For elderly refugees, access to public cash assistance is often the most vital benefit of becoming a citizen, as many rely on monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to pay for medical care and other basic needs. Elderly refugees are typically unable to work due to health problems and limited English, and their family members are often unable to provide sufficient financial support.

Under current federal law, refugees who do not obtain citizenship within seven years of living in the U.S. are no longer eligible for SSI benefits, so it is crucial that agencies assisting them let them know about the importance of naturalization.

It is also critical that guidance is available to help refugees prepare to pass the citizenship test. In Seattle, the IRC is focusing on widespread outreach this year, particularly to elderly refugees from Somalia, Russia and Bosnia.
 
Refugees who fled violence in Bosnia during the late 1990’s make up the largest group using IRC’s citizenship services in Seattle. Many of them are now over 60 years old and know little English. Not long ago I had the opportunity to work closely with a 65-year-old Bosnian refugee, Selma.

Initially, Selma had little confidence that she could pass the naturalization test. We studied together twice weekly for a month, doing mock interviews, practicing sentence dictation and reviewing American history and civics questions that are asked at random during the test. Even with practice, Selma remained nervous and spoke of study plans for a re-take of the test.

However, on the afternoon following her naturalization interview, Selma stopped by IRC’s SeaTac office with great news: she had passed the test! A huge celebratory cake in hand and a wide grin on her face, she offered her thanks and gave me a hug. Her husband also went on to pass the citizenship test three months later.

While Selma’s success story was a huge relief for her and her family, the challenging circumstances of her experience are not uncommon; it has been difficult for several other elderly refugees the IRC assists to pass the test. Some refugees who receive disability waivers are allowed to take a much simpler version of the test -- and usually they pass and become naturalized -- but many others with no waiver are left to struggle.
 
Aside from the general difficulties of retaining new information as they age, many elderly Bosnians also suffer from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This can add even greater stress to high-pressure situations. Some refugees who received extensive tutoring still became overwhelmed with anxiety during citizenship interviews, causing them to forget or mix up the dates and detailed historical facts they learned in tutoring sessions.

Recently, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials started to discuss the possibility of administering the naturalization tests in “informal” settings such as community centers or community colleges, rather than in USCIS offices. As part of this proposed new approach, applicants would also be able to take the test more than twice without having to go through the entire application process (with its hefty fees and several weeks or months of waiting for documents to be processed) again. Hopefully in the future, such options for citizenship will emerge for elderly refugees who do not deserve to live in poverty.

Anne Kagi is an IRC education and in-kind donations coordinator in Seattle who also works on a citizenship initiative.