Naturalization Language Requirements

Historically, the modern nation and its national language(s) have been tightly coupled through processes of nation-building and nationalism. Nowhere is this more apparent in modern societies than when foreign-born populations speaking a different language arrive to become incorporated into the social, economic, and political fabric of a destination country. The governments of destination countries often address the challenge of incorporating immigrant populations by forging policies that appeal to the national language as both a symbolic and an instrumental means of incorporation.

As a result, naturalization, or the process of becoming a new citizen in a country, often requires proof that an individual can speak the host language fluently. Most developed countries in the world that host immigrant populations have a language requirement of some kind, although the stringency and purpose of such a requirement may vary. In the United States, an immigrant wishing to become an American citizen must demonstrate a basic working knowledge of the English language.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, societies across Europe were engaged in attempts to make the nation and the state coincide both geographically and politically. One of the ways that the modern state created a modern nation was by uniting the population through a common language. Oftentimes forcibly, European states actively pursued language standardization and the widespread use of a common language in public life and in modern, mainstream education systems. The United States was no exception to this dominant model of nation-building.

The United States is unique, however, in that there is no official, legally defined state language at the federal level. Nevertheless, there are 31 individual states that have passed English-only policies, either by legislation or through voter initiative. Many of these successful attempts to define English as the official language are linked to broader social movements or organizations. The English-only movement, for example, seeks to make English the sole official language of the United States. With the growth of non-English-speaking populations in the United States, the English-only movement has gained momentum as of late.

Aside from the legal status given to English, the English language is also strongly linked to notions of what is American and is currently the dominant language of public life in most parts of the country. Given the current sociopolitical context of the United States, naturalization policy requires that immigrants show a basic level of proficiency in English to gain citizenship.

American law states that no person shall be naturalized who cannot demonstrate a basic understanding of the English language, including the ability to read, write, and speak words in ordinary English. In addition, such a demonstration of language ability need not be made under “extraordinary or unreasonable conditions.” The requirement that immigrants be able to speak English was added to naturalization law in 1906, some time after the formulation of other naturalization requirements. Prior to 1906, immigrants who wanted to naturalize only had to show that they were residents with good moral character who were devoted to the ideals of the Constitution. English language requirements were made more stringent in a 1950 amendment that required an ability to read and write, in addition to speaking English. More recent changes were instituted [Page 1600]in 1978 and 1990, when exceptions to the English language requirement were outlined.

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