Mexican University Offers American Citizen Course To Locals
ByA satellite branch of a Mexico City-based university in south Texas is taking its first step to prepare some students and locals to become American citizens, Campus Reform reported.
The National Autonomous University of Mexico will begin offering a 30-hour course in how to become an American citizen as soon as next week, Campus Reform reported..
"We're really excited to be offering more resources for the community," Jake Pacheco, spokesman for the university, told KENS 5. It's important to educate the community to give them that strength that power."
The goal of the citizen course is to ease students into the citizenship process and "steer them away from a situation where they may be taken advantage of," Kens 5 reported. Pacheco said there are scammers preying on American citizen hopefuls, hoping to make quick cash.
The course, which will be taught by trained professionals from the school, will include lessons on American history and current events, civics, reading and writing, Campus Reform reported.
Halfway through the course, students will undergo a mock interview with an inspector from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The USCIS inspector will also be a naturalized American citizen, or a foreigner granted U.S. citizenship.
"We work with an inspector who's been through the process and is now part of the system. That's going to be greatly helpful to the students-that they have someone who has seen how it works," UNAM spokesman Pacheco told Campus Reform.
Pacheco told Campus Reform the university's non-profit status prevents it from offering consultation on anyone's immigration status. He said all the school can do is education.
The National Autonomous University of Mexico also offers courses in English as a second language, Spanish, French, and various subjects relating to the United States and Mexico.
Texas ranks 4th in naturalizations each year, according to the USCIS.