I Discover Myself on the Verge of a Usual Mistake: A Second Revelation on Scope (And Happier, More Conclusive Findings!) (Week 10)

I Discover Myself on the Verge of a Usual Mistake: A Second Revelation on Scope (And Happier, More Conclusive Findings!) (Week 10)

Hi everyone, welcome back to my blog! Today I’ll be sharing my findings from the last part of my literature review—the cross-country comparative analysis.

However, there has been one significant change in my plans since the inception of my project. Originally, I had planned for this portion to include comparing the naturalization systems of Japan, India, and the European Union, but after further consideration taking into account the timeline of my project, I’ve decided to pivot to analyzing only the US and Canada.

Also—don’t worry, the title still begins with a Whitman quote. I checked on Goodreads!!!

Background

Since the very beginning of this project when I was conducting my background research, I’ve come across a multitude of sources that have speculated as to why Canada’s naturalization rate is almost double that of the US (approximately 70% vs. approximately 40%). This seems to be a very common point of investigation in the field of naturalization law, so I’m going to synthesize my conclusions on what I’ve read thus far.

Undocumented Populations

One of the most common proposed reasons for the gap in naturalization rates is the proportion of undocumented immigrants relative to the total immigrant population. There are significantly more undocumented immigrants in the US which may explain the vastly lower naturalization rate. Undocumented immigrants have no legal standing to naturalize and therefore greatly skew the data. However, even when controlling for the number of undocumented individuals across both nations, Canada still has a disproportionately higher rate of naturalization.

Canada’s Point System

This is what brings me to the issue of correlation—across both countries, those with less education are more likely to be closer to the poverty line and less likely to naturalize. Although the demographics of the immigrant population in the US and Canada are similar, they are different in a fundamental way: the US system relies primarily on family reunification with relatively fewer cases of skilled immigrants with H1B visas whereas 50-60% of Canadian immigrants are independent and immigrated via a points pathway that takes into consideration an individual’s level of education, language ability, personal skills, and other factors. As a result, perhaps the average Canadian immigrant possesses innate characteristics that make them inherently more predisposed to naturalizing without considering specific personal circumstances.

Citizenship as a Right vs. Privilege

Perhaps the most significant of all reasons is the mentality of the US and Canadian governments. The Canadian government has always posed the issue of citizenship as a right that all Canadians may be able to obtain, and its policies confer. They offer free civics and language classes for all immigrants, with some even being taught in an immigrant’s native language. The government informs citizens of the necessary qualifications for a fee waiver and actively seeks to disseminate helpful information to motivate and assist immigrants along their naturalization journey.

Conversely, the US process is extremely complicated bureaucratically. The process itself consists of many confusing steps and hurdles, and information is not always freely available. Although the financial cost of naturalization is $760, the true price is often in the thousands when taking into account private civics classes and other educational courses. Although fee waivers are also offered in the US, the information and forms are often tricky to access, acting as another barrier to initiation. A significant number of immigrants aren’t even aware that they may be eligible for a fee waiver in the first place. The difference in mentality between Canada’s multicultural emphasis and the American exclusionary process is stark, and the results are as well.

Conclusions

There is simply no easy solution to this problem. When I first started this project, I thought I would be able to come across a unique solution of my own through my data analysis and with the assistance of decades of scholarship. However, I’ve found the answer to be quite the opposite—with more reading only comes more questions. This research question was far broader in scope than I ever anticipated, despite cautionary advice from both of my mentors. It feels quite unsatisfactory to end with an “I don’t know, further research must be conducted,” but sometimes, that’s just the world of research.

And with that, today’s blog post comes to an end. Thanks for reading, and see you next time (for the penultimate blog post)!

Sources

Aptekar, Sofya. “Citizenship Status and Patterns of Inequality in the United States and Canada.” Social Science Quarterly 95, no. 2 (2014): 343–59. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26612168.

Aptekar, Sofya, ed. The Road to Citizenship: What Naturalization Means for Immigrants and the United States. New Brunswick, New Jersey London: Rutgers University Press, 2015.

Bloemraad, Irene. Becoming a Citizen: Incorporating Immigrants and Refugees in the United States and Canada. Oakland, California: University of California Press, 2006.

Ham, Zachary, Delaney Seward, and Ian McQuistion. “Barriers to Naturalization: A Review of the Literature,” Library of Congress, December 2023. https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/USCIS_Naturalization%20LitReview_December2023.pdf.