Ceremony for American Citizenship

The main purpose of the ceremony is to welcome the new citizen and to administer the oath of allegiance.

To become a U.S. citizen, an applicant must attend a citizenship ceremony to swear the oath of allegiance to the nation. The ceremony follows the approval of the naturalization application, N-400, and the passing of the interview and English and civics exams. Ceremonies are conducted in groups and scheduled at intervals to allow you to attend a ceremony that suits your schedule.

Purpose

There is more purpose to a citizenship ceremony than to simply give the new citizen a certificate. The ceremony serves to welcome the the new citizens, provide information on the responsibilities of citizenship, and to allow for celebration of the achievement. All citizenship ceremonies vary by location funding, so there are elements that may happen at one ceremony but not at another. All ceremonies, however, are conducted for the same purposes

Attendees

Aside from the new citizens, a judge is always present to conduct the swearing of the oath, and a representative from the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) is always present to motion and conduct the ceremony. Along with the judge and USCIS representative, there is usually a guest speaker (or more than one) from the community to speak on behalf of the new citizens. Usually the speaker is a leader of a local immigration organization, a local government official or sometimes even one of the new citizens. Depending on the size of the venue, guests of the citizens are may be allowed to attend.

Course of Events

The ceremony is opened by the USCIS representative calling for a motion to admit applicants for citizenship. All new citizens take the oath of allegiance in front of the presiding judge followed by a group recital of pledging allegiance to the flag. After the oath and pledge, the guest speakers give congratulatory speeches along with speeches pertaining to the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens. The whole ceremony usually takes between one and one and a half hours.

Oath of Allegiance

The oath that the presiding judge leads the applicants through the Oath of Allegiance, also known as the Oath of Citizenship. The main theme of the oath is to swear allegiance to the U.S. government over any previous governments, obey the laws of the nation and Constitution, defend the nation against threat and to perform service in the armed forces if ever called to do so by law. Taking the oath does not automatically sever the swearer from citizenship ties to a former nation, as the United States observes dual nationality.

Conclusion

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the new citizens are congratulated and usually given small American flags, copies of the U.S. Constitution and pamphlets concerning citizenship duties and voting. In most cases, though not all, the ceremony is followed with a reception with entertainment and refreshments to allow for celebration and socializing.

References

• US Immigration Support: Citizenship Ceremony
• USCIS: N-400 Instructions