Expedited Citizenship Through Military Service: Current Law, Policy and Issues. (Updated February 25, 2009)

摘要

Since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, there has been and continues to be considerable congressional interest in further streamlining and expediting the naturalization process for military personnel and in providing immigration benefits specifically for immediate relatives of such personnel. The reported deaths in action of noncitizen soldiers drew attention to the immigration laws that grant posthumous citizenship and to the advantages of further expediting naturalization for noncitizens serving in the United States military. President George W. Bush officially designated the period beginning on September 11, 2001, as a 'period of hostilities,' which triggered immediate naturalization eligibility for active-duty U.S. military service members. The Department of Defense and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are cooperating to ensure that military naturalization applications are processed expeditiously.