More than 300,000 immigrants may not become citizens in time to vote as COVID-19 stalls process – By Daniel Gonzalez (Arizona Republic) / July 21 2020
PHOENIX – Alex Beric, a 44-year-old immigrant from England, applied for naturalization in May 2019. He was hoping to become a U.S. citizen in time to vote in the presidential election this November.
But now he is one of more than 300,000 immigrants at risk of not becoming citizens in time to cast ballots after the federal agency in charge of processing naturalization applications suspended in-person interviews and oath ceremonies this spring amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“It would be fairly disappointing,” said Beric, who came to the U.S. in 2004 and lives in Gilbert. “My wife and I have made our life here. We have no intention to return to England, so it would be nice to take part in local and federal elections.”
U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that processes immigration benefits, notified Beric in early March that his naturalization interview, which is done in-person, had been scheduled for April 21.
Continue to article: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/21/citizenship-process-backlog-coronavirus-pandemic/5471682002/
