Pathways to U.S. Citizenship

The U.S. foreign-born population includes more noncitizens than naturalized citizens, a reversal of the 1930-1980 trend, especially among European-born persons. As the policy debate continues about border enforcement and an unauthorized presence, naturalization and pathways to U.S. citizenship are more prominent. This article reviews the steps in making the transition to naturalized citizen and eligibility criteria. The article also discusses naturalization as a temporal process of civic assimilation. Museums can play important roles in promoting understanding of immigrant pathways to naturalized citizenship with viewpoints on origin groups, institutions, and communities.