Thursday, October 31, 2019

U.S. Citizenship Class 13, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School


N-400
  • Mix and Match Interviews B4
  • Citizenship Ready for the Interview by Lynn Weintraub, Quick Overview--Part 12 Additional Questions
  • n-400r-12b   Affiliations
    • Review the interview/civics worksheet
    • note family related info such as emergency contact
    • Pair up students to interview each other
    • Visit the pairs to help with meaning, pronunciation, etc
    Civics
    • Citizenship Ready for the Interview: Judicial Branch
    • si.edu: The Court
    Integration

    Wednesday, October 30, 2019

    USCIS Updates Fee Waiver Requirements



    uscitizenpod: USCIS Updates Fee Waiver Requirements
    1. USCIS updated Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, by removing receipt of a means-tested benefit to establish eligibility.
    2. Individuals may still request a fee waiver if their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or they demonstrate financial hardship.
    3. The new policy is effective on Dec. 2.  
    Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
    https://www.uscis.gov/i-912

    Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver
    https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver

    Eligibility
    https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#Eligibility

    What is a means-tested benefit?
    https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#meanstested

    How to show you are currently receiving a means-tested benefit
    https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#meanstested

    Federal Poverty Guidelines
    https://www.uscis.gov/i-912p

    Financial Hardship
    https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#financial_hardship

    How requesting a fee waiver affects your current immigration status
    https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#status

    uscitizenpod: USCIS Updates Fee Waiver Requirements (subtitled video of this podcast episode)
    Video posted October 28, 2019.
    http://bit.ly/I-912-2019

    uscitizenpod: The USCIS N-400 and Fee Waivers (includes Fee Reduction)
    Video posted January 13, 2018.
    Available at http://bit.ly/I-912-2018

    10/25/2019 USCIS Press Release
    I-912 Revised Criteria Provides Clarity for Demonstrating Eligibility
    https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-updates-fee-waiver-requirements

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has revised Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, by removing the means-tested benefit criteria that was previously used as a factor in determining whether an applicant was exempt from paying for filing fees or biometric services. Individuals may still request a fee waiver if their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or they demonstrate financial hardship.

    A means-tested benefit is a public benefit—offered by federal, state, or local agencies—for which eligibility and amount considerations are based on a person’s income and resources. USCIS formerly considered Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Supplemental Security Income during eligibility evaluations.

    USCIS has determined that receiving a means-based benefit is not an appropriate criteria in reviewing fee-waiver requests because income levels used to decide local assistance eligibility vary greatly from state to state.

    “USCIS relies on fees to cover the costs of adjudicating applications and petitions, implementing operational efforts, and ensuring the nation’s lawful immigration system is properly administered,” said USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. “USCIS waives hundreds of millions of dollars in fees annually. The revised fee waiver process will improve the integrity of the program and the quality and consistency of fee waiver approvals going forward. Providing clear direction to agency adjudicators for more uniform determinations will help us to uphold our mission of efficiently and fairly adjudicating immigration requests.”

    USCIS has estimated that the annual dollar amount of fee waivers increased from around $344.3 million in fiscal year 2016 to $367.9 million in FY 2017. In FY 2018, the estimated annual dollar amount of fee waivers USCIS granted was $293.5 million. Fee revenues account for more than 95% of the USCIS budget.

    Under the revised criteria, individuals may still request a fee waiver if:

    • Their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; or
    • They demonstrate financial hardship.

    However, USCIS will require applicants to complete Form I-912 and submit supporting documentation, including federal income tax transcripts. USCIS will not accept a letter stating the applicant is unable to afford filing fees or biometric services without a completed Form I-912.

    As of Dec. 2, those seeking a fee waiver must submit the 10/24/19 version of this form to request a waiver of a required fee for immigration benefits. After Dec. 2, USCIS will reject any Form I-912 with an edition date of 03/13/18 or earlier, a fee waiver request submitted with a letter, or documentation of receipt of means-tested benefit to show eligibility for a fee waiver. USCIS will adjudicate any fee waiver request postmarked before Dec. 2 under the previous policy, AFM 10.9, Waiver of Fees.

    The new form does not change the applications and petitions that are eligible for a fee waiver. For the list of eligible applications and petitions, see the Form I-912 Instructions. In addition, USCIS has updated policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to accompany this form revision. The updated policy guidance is effective on Dec. 2.

    For more information on USCIS and our programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), Instagram (/uscis), YouTube (/uscis), Facebook (/uscis), and LinkedIn (/uscis).

    Tuesday, October 29, 2019

    U.S. Citizenship Class 12, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School

    New US Citizen Hieu and Phuong
    N-400
    • Mix and Match Interviews B3 and USCIS 100:26-36
    • Citizenship Ready for the Interview by Lynn Weintraub, Quick Overview--Part 12 Additional Questions
    • n-400r-12    Additional Info Overview
    • n-400r-12a   General Info
      • Review the interview/civics worksheet
      • note family related info such as emergency contact
      • Pair up students to interview each other
      • Visit the pairs to help with meaning, pronunciation, etc
      Civics
      • Citizenship Ready for the Interview: Judicial Branch
      • si.edu: The Court
      Integration
      • Citizenship Interview Quiz with Angelica Mendoza pdf mp3 video

      Monday, October 28, 2019

      Update to USCIS Form N-400 Application for Naturalization



      uscitizenpod: Update to USCIS Form N-400 Application for Naturalization

      The new edition of the USCIS Form N-400 Application for Naturalization is dated 09/17/19. It expires 09/30/2022.

      There are only two changes to the N-400 (09/17/19)

      1) The expiration date (09/30/2022).

      2) A dynamic barcode encodes info as the N-400 is filled out online. This barcode does not appear on the print copy.

      The updated N-400 (09/17/19) questions are the same as the old N-400 (12/23/16).

      The late 2018--early 2019 proposed questions were not adopted by the updated N-400 (09/17/19).

      These questions were possibly disregarded after an extended period of discussion with legal experts and stake holders.

      This video is a correction to the following video:

      Preview of the Revised USCIS N-400 Application for Naturalization (March 2019)
      https://youtu.be/jMWCwr4EIc4
      posted Feb 8, 2019

      Sunday, October 27, 2019

      I'm a US citizen! + Lit AF Halloween party*🎃| tani



      Tani: I'm a US citizen! + Lit AF Halloween party*🎃| tani

      Tani talks about her Citizenship interview from 3:34 to 13:34. Plus she goes out with her family for celebration breakfast.  Later in the video she goes to a Halloween party.  Congrats Tani!

      Friday, October 25, 2019

      Baseball Brings Sense of Unity to Politically Divided Washington



      VOANews: Baseball Brings Sense of Unity to Politically Divided Washington

      In international diplomacy, sports can sometimes act to bridge bitter divides between longstanding rivals. A similar unifying force could be at work, at least temporarily, in America's politically-polarized capital city. VOA’s Brian Padden reports, Democrats and Republicans are coming together to support the Washington Nationals baseball team playing in Major League Baseball's World Series.

      POP QUIZ

      USCIS 100:45. What are the two major political parties in the United States?*

      USCIS 100:94. What is the capital of the United States?*

      Thursday, October 24, 2019

      U.S. Citizenship Class 11, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School

      New US citizen: Van Thi Bach Thach!


      N-400
      • Citizenship Ready for the Interview by Lynn Weintraub, Quick Overview--Family and Children
      • Mix and Match Interviews B2 and USCIS 100:13-23
        • Review the interview/civics worksheet
        • note family related info such as emergency contact
        • Pair up students to interview each other
        • Visit the pairs to help with meaning, pronunciation, etc
        Civics
        Integration

        Wednesday, October 23, 2019

        A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of German-American Day



        Two Questions for German American Day



        German-American Day honors the first group of German families who immigrated to colonial America and arrived in Philadelphia on October 6, 1683. Here are ten Citizenship questions which incorporates German-born Americans-by-Choice.

        Tuesday, October 22, 2019

        U.S. Citizenship Class 10, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School


        N-400
        • Citizenship Ready for the Interview by Lynn Weintraub, Quick Overview--Job and Travel
        • Mix and Match Interviews B1 and USCIS 100:01-12
          • Review the interview/civics worksheet
          • note family related info such as emergency contact
          • Pair up students to interview each other
          • Visit the pairs to help with meaning, pronunciation, etc
          Civics
          • Citizenship Ready for the Interview: The Congress
          Integration


          Monday, October 21, 2019

          US Citizenship Bootcamp Interview 1



          uscitizenpod: US Citizenship Bootcamp Interview 1

          Five N-400 Questions and Five Civics Questions with Officer David

          Use US Citizenship Bootcamp to work your way up to the US Citizenship Interview!

          Vocabulary words
          1. Name
          2. Permanent Resident
          3. Citizen
          4. Married
          5. Month
          6. Year
          7. Constitution
          8. Vote
          9. President
          You can order US Citizenship Bootcamp by Jennifer Gagliardi from any bookstore or library.

          Saturday, October 19, 2019

          Powerful, Respected US Congressman at Center of Impeachment Inquiry Dies



          VOANews: Powerful, Respected US Congressman at Center of Impeachment Inquiry Dies

          Democratic U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, a powerful and respected voice in Washington, passed away Thursday at the age of 68. Cummings was one of the heads of an impeachment committee investigating President Donald Trump. The late U.S. congressman, who represented the state of Maryland, was also an inspirational figure for many, especially African Americans. VOA's Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from Capitol Hill.

          USCIS 100:17. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*

          USCIS 100:21. The House of Representatives has how many voting members?

          USCIS 100:22. We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?

          USCIS 100:23. Name your U.S. Representative.

          USCIS 100:25. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

          USCIS 100:47. What is the name of the Speaker of the House of Representatives now?

          Wednesday, October 16, 2019

          Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Italian-American Heritage Month




          Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Italian-American Heritage Month 



          Also check out:

          The four-part Ken Burns PBS documentary: The Italian Americans

          LOC: Explorers Emigrants Citizens: A Visual History of the Italian American Experience

          • Linda Barrett Osborne and Paolo Battaglia discuss their new book comprising a visual history of the Italian American experience from the collections of the Library.

          Tuesday, October 15, 2019

          U.S. Citizenship Class 08, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School



          N-400
          • Citizenship: Ready for the Interview by Lynn Weintraub, Quick Overview--Name, Address, Job
          • Mix and Match Interviews A5 and Civics Names and Position
            • Review the interview/civics worksheet
            • note new N-400 Part 12 vocabulary such as claimed, vote, taxes, crime,
            • Pair up students to interview each other
            • Visit the pairs to help with meaning, pronunciation, etc
            Civics
            • Citizenship Ready for the Interview by Lynn Weintraub: The Constitution
            Integration

            Monday, October 14, 2019

            Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day Citizenship Resources 2019





            American English at State: Celebrate!

            ELCivics.com 
            ESL Library (requires subscription)
            LearningChocolate.com 

            SI.edu

            US Citizenship Podcast 




            • Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, and the Columbian Exchange podcast / video
            • ¡Viva Boricua! A Citizenship Quiz In Honor of Puerto Rico pdf  mp3  video
            • Native American Tribes Puzzle pdf
            • Columbus Day and the Columbian Exchange Puzzle pdf 
            • Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Italian-American Heritage Month  mp3  pdf  video
            • Citizenship Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month 2020 post
            • A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Native American Heritage Month (November) post

            VOANews: Voice of America 


            More Websites
            FAMILY FUN
            • Columbus Day Coloring Pages pdf
            • Many Hoops Coloring Pages pdfs
            • Native American Coloring Pages pdf
            Updated 10/11/2020

            Friday, October 11, 2019

            VOA Explains: The Trump Impeachment Inquiry By VOANews



            VOA Explains: The Trump Impeachment Inquiry
            By VOANews

            Opposition Democrats in Washington have launched an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump. The move came after a government whistleblower accused the president of abusing his office for personal gain. Here are the basics of the dispute (read more)

            Tuesday, October 8, 2019

            U.S. Citizenship Class 06, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School


            N-400
            • USCIS: Family--Children
            • Mix and Match Interviews A4 and Numbers Quiz 
              • Review the interview/civics worksheet
              • note family related info such as emergency contact
              • Pair up students to interview each other
              • Visit the pairs to help with meaning, pronunciation, etc
              • They do not have too fill out the sheets, but they do need to talk to each other
            Group 
            • Citizenship
              • Packet 3 of Pilot material (test on packet 2 and 3 on thursday after CASAS test)
            • ESL: 
              • Ventures 1 (red book) 38-39 oral review; then do white workbook exercises 
              • Ventures 1 (red book) 40-41 oral review; then do white workbook exercises (if there is time)
            Civics
            • Voices of Freedom: Ch 4 Congress, President, Supreme Courts 57-71
            • Voices of Freedom: Ch 4 worksheet
            Integration

            Sunday, October 6, 2019

            US CITIZENSHIP OATH TAKING CEREMONY 2019 NATURALIZATION US CITIZEN 2019



            Oneclick Media Production: US CITIZENSHIP OATH TAKING CEREMONY 2019 NATURALIZATION US CITIZEN 2019

            MECHACK and ASHLEY US CITIZENSHIP OATH TAKING CEREMONY NATURALIZATION US CITIZEN 2019 PHOENIX ARIZONA

            • Song: Wataulizana by Aniseti Butati
            • Song: The Star Spangled Banner (arr. T. Beveridge) by Thomas Beveridge
            • Song: God Bless The U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood

            See the video's music permissions on the video's YouTube video notes!

            Saturday, October 5, 2019

            CATESOL19: Tech Up for the Census, Civics, & Citizenship Class



            CATESOL19: Tech Up for the Census, Civics, & Citizenship Class bit.ly/uscit-catesol 

            CCAE2019: EdTech for EL Civics and Citizenship
            bit.ly/ccae19-edtech 
            Participants will identify the critical resources in the form of mobile apps, podcasts, etc with Civics and language enrichment activities to implement learning  strategies appropriate for mixed-status ESL, Citizenship, or Distance Learning environments.

            More Resources

            Friday, October 4, 2019

            How (historically) presidential are the candidates?


            VOANews: How (historically) presidential are the candidates?
            The Democratic candidates running for president have a range of experiences, with some serving in high-profile elected positions, such as vice president, state governor or a U.S. Congress member, while others have held smaller elected roles, such as a city mayor . . . Here's how the candidates’ experiences stack up against each other as well as with U.S. presidents throughout history. (read more)

            VOANews: A Guide to the Democratic Presidential Candidates
            The next U.S. presidential election is not until November 2020, but there is already a large field of Democrats eager to contend for their party’s presidential nomination next year. Here is a list of those who have formally entered the race for the White House.

            VOANews: Immigration
            The Democrats running for the party’s nomination in the 2020 presidential election tend to agree on some immigration issues, such as allowing a path to citizenship, while differing over others, such as what benefits migrants should receive upon entering the country.

            VOANews: Climate change
            Climate change, usually not at the forefront of election issues, has taken a larger footprint in the 2020 election cycle. The Democrats have stated policy positions from reducing the effects of climate change to calling it a geopolitical threat to the country.

            VOANews: Impeachment
            The issue of whether or not to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump has split Democrats, with some calling for the House of Representatives to take up the matter immediately; while others urge more caution or argue that the best way to remove Trump from office is at the ballot box.

            VOANews: A Guide to the Republican Presidential Candidates
            Three Republicans have taken the unusual step of challenging a sitting president from their own party.  Here is a list of those who have formally entered the race.

            Thursday, October 3, 2019

            U.S. Citizenship Class 05, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School

            Hieu and Phuong just got their interview notices.  Wish them luck!

            N-400
            Civics
            • si,edu: Preparing the Oath (first two videos of the Congress, the Presidents, and the Court System
            • Voices of Freedom: Ch 4 Congress, President, Supreme Courts 57-71
            Integration
            • N-400 Quiz: TBD (check back)

            Wednesday, October 2, 2019

            White House Gift Store



            VOANews: White House Gift Store | VOA Connect

            People in America profiles Jim Warlick, a former Congressional aide who owns both a political memorabilia shop and an ice cream parlor in Washington. He describes how one small presidential campaign token changed the course of his life over 40 years ago.

            WATCH MORE: https://www.voanews.com/voa-connect

            POP QUIZ:

            USCIS 100:15. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

            USCIS 100:26. We elect a President for how many years?

            USCIS 100:27. In what month do we vote for President?*

            USCIS 100:30. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

            USCIS 100:33. Who signs bills to become laws?

            USCIS 100:34. Who vetoes bills?

            USCIS 100:54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?*

            USCIS 100:70. Who was the first President?*

            USCIS 100:80. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?

            USCIS 100:94. What is the capital of the United States?*

            Tuesday, October 1, 2019

            U.S. Citizenship Class 04, Fall 2019, Milpitas Adult School


            N-400
            Civics
            • Why does the Flag have fifty stars? pg 43-45
            • Branches of Government pg 52-55
            • Voices of Freedom: Ch 4 Congress, President, Supreme Courts 57-65
            Integration