The United States has announced changes to its naturalisation process for green card holders, starting on October 20th. Applicants for U.S. citizenship will now face a tougher civics test that requires twelve correct answers out of twenty questions, compared with the previous six out of ten. They will also undergo closer scrutiny of their moral character, with officers able to review letters from employers or community members and even carry out neighbourhood investigations.
For Gambians living in the U.S. on green cards, this sets a higher bar to citizenship at a time when Washington is tightening immigration enforcement. Only days earlier, the U.S. Embassy in Banjul introduced a visa bond of up to fifteen thousand dollars, about one million dalasis, for Gambian applicants seeking B1 business visas or B2 visitor visas for tourism, family visits or medical care. The bond is refundable only if applicants comply fully with visa conditions.
Together, the new rules and the visa bond underline a clampdown that could affect Gambians hoping to travel, work or settle permanently in America. U.S. officials say the changes are aimed at restoring integrity to the naturalisation process. Critics argue they risk discouraging law-abiding immigrants and making the path to American citizenship more difficult.
