A common process conducted by the United States involves providing certain immigrants with benefits in recognition of their important sacrifices. Among these immigrants includes U.S. service members, veterans, and their families. Veterans and active-duty service personnel in particular may qualify for citizenship under unique provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The criteria for the applicant to have lived in and been physically present in the United States for a particular amount of time prior to naturalizing are among the basic prerequisites for naturalization that are reduced or eliminated by these special provisions.
As the United States observes another Veterans Day, News Americas has discovered that 3,890 Jamaican and Haitian-born military personnel have become citizens in just the last five years. The biggest number of Jamaicans to naturalize in the five years from 2018 to 2022 was 1,080 in Fiscal Year 2022 alone. According to USCIS data, there were 880 naturalized Jamaican-born U.S. military members in Fiscal Year 2021 as opposed to just 380 in Fiscal Year 2020. Jamaica was the second most popular nation for naturalized service members, while Haiti ranked seventh. Their new citizenship status allows them to vote and obtain other benefits as well.
Ever since the Revolutionary War, immigrants have played an important role in the United States military. In actuality, 8,000 non-citizens join the American military every year. The United States Defense Department reports that there are now more than 30,000 non-citizens serving on active service, and many of them were naturalized recently.
