Immigration is a very controversial topic in the United States. Some people want a wall built between Mexico and the United States to stop illegal immigration. Others want open borders. Some are concerned about national security, while others are concerned about people trying to seek asylum or greater opportunity. Others want the process of becoming an American citizen to become easier, or more difficult. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Before a person can apply for citizenship, they must be a permanent resident of the United States. Becoming a permanent resident is a long and expensive process. A permanent resident card is usually granted through family, employment, or refugee or asylum status. A person applying for a permanent resident card must be eligible for one of the immigration categories set out in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). They must have a filed and approved immigration petition and have an available immigrant visa. Then, they must apply using Form I-485 and submit all necessary documentation. The filing fee for this application is $1140 and $85 for the biometric services fee. Biometric services include fingerprinting. A person applying for U.S. citizenship must have had a permanent resident card for at least five years, or three years if he or she is the spouse of a U.S. citizen. A person applying for citizenship must be 18 years old, able to read, write and speak basic English, and have good moral character. A permanent resident must complete the N-400 naturalization application, which costs $620 to file, and the biometric services fee which costs $85, for a total of $725 to apply for citizenship. This application is twenty pages long and asks for information about you, your family, and questions regarding your moral behavior. Then, the permanent resident must take a U.S. history and government test. If the applicant is selected for an interview, he or she will be given a decision. The decision on the permanent resident's citizenship application is granted, continued, or denied. The permanent resident must show strong moral character, and if they do not, they will be denied citizenship and may be deported depending on the circumstances. The naturalization test is part of the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. Studies have found that most Americans would not be able to pass the test, even if they had lived here all their lives and taken courses in U.S. history and government during their academic careers. Immigrants are expected to learn a different language: how to speak, write and read English. So, they should take a test and pass it even though most Americans can't pass it. Studies have found that two-thirds of Americans would be unable to pass this test. The test asks questions about the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court, and past wars. For the past twenty years, one law has remained the same regarding asylum seekers. There is a thirty-day deadline to determine whether the asylum seekers' application has been accepted or rejected. Other categories of immigration applications are often set aside so that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services can focus on asylum seeker applications and meet deadlines. On September 6, 2019, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services planned to reform the.