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TAMPA — Consider yourself pretty good at civics?
Let's try a little test:
Name one author of the Federalist Papers. How many voting members are in the U.S. House of Representatives? If the President and Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
Those are just three of 100 possible questions that could appear on the new test that takes effect for all immigrants applying for citizenship after Oct. 1.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or CIS, will hold a free seminar today in Tampa for qualified legal immigrants who want to become citizens.
The class is the third of its kind and part of a nationwide push by CIS to get immigrants to apply for citizenship. Within the past month, the agency held classes in Miami and Orlando.
"We want to tell them about eligibility requirements, the process itself and that it's all moving very quickly," said Sharon Scheidhauer, a spokeswoman for CIS.
Agency officials said applicants' wait time, which varies by region, is now four months in Tampa, Scheidhauer said. It had been more than a year or two.
Many eligible immigrants don't take the citizenship plunge for fear of the English and civics portion of the test or the cost: $675 in application fees.
To pass, they must answer six of 10 questions correctly during the interview out of a possible 100 supplied on the CIS Web site along with answers. They also must be law-abiding permanent residents living in the United States for five years, or three years if married to a U.S. citizen.
More than 700,000 immigrants in Florida are eligible to apply for citizenship, Scheidhauer said. If they all applied tomorrow, the agency, which operates mostly on applicant fees, would pull in $475.5 million.
For immigrants afraid of the test, which is considered more difficult than the old one, Scheidhauer wants to reassure them that passage rates are higher on the new exam: 91 percent, compared with 84 percent under the old test.
Following years of criticism over what were considered inane and simple questions on the citizenship test, immigration officials rolled out the new exam in stages. Starting last fall, applicants who filed for citizenship after Oct. 1, 2008, took the new test. Those who applied earlier, but who had scheduled an interview after that date could choose between the old and new. Now all new applicants must take the retooled exam.
Among the benefits of citizenship: the right to vote, serve on juries and run for office.
Now, the answer to those questions: The writers of the Federalist Papers were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and Publius. There are 435 voting members of the House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House assumes control if the President and Vice President can't serve.
Saundra Amrhein can be reached at amrhein@sptimes.com or (813) 661-2441.
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