[caption id="attachment_2223" align="alignleft" width="1597"] Maria Valles Bonilla, 106, right, recites the Oath of Allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, in Fairfax, Va. (9AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)[/caption] The United States will accept more than 967,000 new citizens in 2022. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said this was the largest number of naturalizations since 2008. To become a US citizen, an applicant must have lived in the country as a permanent resident for at least 5 years and be over 18 years old. After submitting the application, the citizenship applicant must complete an interview with a USCIS officer. During the interview, the manager evaluates the person based on their level of English, knowledge of U.S. history and government, and their personal background. More than 96 percent of people pass the naturalization test. However, impending changes to the test could make it more difficult for English learners. Carolyn Quinn and John Schmelzer teach a free course in Montgomery County, Maryland to help people living in the area prepare for interviews. They say it's important that people can understand the questions the interviewer is asking. Saying grammatically correct sentences is not as important. The question the interview tries to answer is: “Do these people understand enough English to be functional citizens? » Schmelzer said. At the beginning of each class session, Quinn and Schmelzer ask their students simple "conversation"-style questions that they might hear in an interview, such as "How did you get here today?" or “Why do you want to become a US citizen?” The majority of the interview is based on questions from the naturalization application form, known as the N-400. Most are personal questions related to employment, family, and personal history. Rajbit Kahn took Quinn's course and passed her naturalization interview in August. She said the course helped her be more confident speaking English during the interview. She said that before going to class, she rarely spoke English. But now, “I talk to anyone.” However, Quinn emphasized to his students that his class was not an English class. And she brought into her class students who didn't have enough English skills to pass the interview. With the number of Afghan immigrants in the United States increasing, Quinn said she has welcomed a number of Afghan women into her classes. “They never went to school,” she said. So they don't know how to write. They don't know how to read. They don't know the sounds of letters. Typically, family members with better English skills will fill out Form N-400 for them. But they won't be able to answer interview questions on their own. USCIS said in a document explaining the test update that possible changes to the naturalization interview would make multiple-choice citizenship questions “reflect current practices.” current best in test design”. Schmelzer said that would make the test more difficult for immigrants who may not have a strong understanding of U.S. history or English. Currently, students memorize 100 civics questions. Ten questions will be asked on the day of the interview and candidates must answer six correctly to pass. One question was “Name a war the United States was involved in in the 1800s.” Nowadays, people only need to memorize one war that took place during these 100 years. But the multiple choice test will require knowing the four wars given as answer choices and knowing which war took place in the 1800s. “You're forcing them to expand their memorization,” Schmelzer said. Another proposed change is to add an oral test to assess English ability. The officer will show three photos and the interviewee will have to describe what is going on in the photos. Currently, English knowledge is assessed by questions in form N-400 and other conversation questions. The new interview changes are currently being tested in several locations across the country. USCIS will receive feedback on the tests before the end of the year. Quinn and Schmelzer said the test should be updated. There was only one citizenship question involving a U.S. historical figure, Schmelzer said. But Quinn wonders what would be accomplished by making changes to the test to make it more difficult. People of his class "poured out their souls" to become citizens. “What else should we ask them to do? " she speaks. John Yepow is another Quinn student who, along with his wife, recently became U.S. citizens. Yepow is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He lived in Zambia for 10 years before moving to the United States. Yepow, who works as a drug technician, said he closely follows US politics. He considers himself a lifelong learner and even takes online courses in American history. “I want to learn and make sure I’m integrated into American society,” he said. Yepow added: “This is the land of opportunity. We are dreaming big." He said he will make sure to take advantage of every opportunity.