From Resident, To Citizen

Hi, folks!

After 4 years of living and working in America, transitioning from conditional to unconditional Permanent Residency, mountains of paperwork, fees, fingerprinting, background checks, interviewing, testing, and more waiting, I became a U.S. Citizen in December of 2017.  I am honored to now officially call myself a dual citizen of Australia and America.

Photo taken by Gregory Richardson.

For those of you wondering if it was worth the "hard slog" - absolutely.  The freedom to move between countries whenever I please without being scrutinized, the mental and emotional stabilization of knowing that Greg and I will no longer have to be apart for extended periods of time, and being welcomed "home" no matter which direction I travel, is a feeling like no other.

A few weeks prior, I undertook a face-to-face citizenship test and interview.  I was a little nervous preparing for the process since the test covered a variety of U.S. facts and history.  There was a bank of 100 possible questions that the interviewing officer could select from.  These questions and answers were memorized on our "hurricane evacuation road trip" up to Alabama and back!

Greg and I attended the Oath Ceremony in Tampa, Florida.  It was short and sweet, albeit heartfelt and meaningful.  There were 69 people from over 20 countries who also attained their U.S citizenship alongside me at the ceremony (although I was the only person hailing from Australia)!  It was interesting to hear some of their stories.  One man from Guatemala had been waiting 15 years for this moment - Wow!

Who else out there is a dual (or triple!) citizen?  If so, what countries are you a citizen of?

Cheers,

Maree