“Anything is possible with perseverance and patience.”
For years, Sergio wanted to become a United States citizen. His family wanted it even more.
Sergio lives with dementia. For his daughter Elena, who cares for both of her parents and drives her father to every medical appointment, citizenship was never just a milestone to celebrate. It was protection. It was the peace of mind that comes from knowing your father cannot be separated from the country where his family lives, and that the benefits and care he depends on will not one day be pulled out from under him.
The path there was not easy. Applicants for naturalization are normally required to demonstrate English proficiency and pass a civics test, requirements that a person living with dementia cannot reasonably meet. Federal immigration law allows for an exception in exactly these circumstances, but it requires a detailed medical certification, Form N-648, completed by a licensed physician and documented precisely enough to satisfy U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Sergio’s family had already tried. Twice. Both times, the request was denied.
When they came to JAMLAC, they were running out of hope, but not out of determination. JAMLAC’s Immigration Legal Services team, working alongside our Older Adult Program, took up the case at no cost to the family. Much of the work happened where families rarely have the time or expertise to go, in careful, patient advocacy with Sergio’s doctors, making sure the medical certification captured the full clinical picture and connected it clearly to the legal standard USCIS applies.
Sergio’s physicians deserve real credit here. They were willing to go back to the paperwork, to be thorough, and to stand behind their patient.
The third time was the one. USCIS approved the request.
There was one step left. Every new citizen must take the Oath of Allegiance, but the law also recognizes that some applicants, because of a disability, cannot understand the oath they are being asked to take. In those cases, USCIS can waive the requirement entirely.
Elena requested that waiver. At the third interview, the USCIS officer questioned her directly before approving her as her father’s designated representative, a role she had, in every practical sense, been filling for years. The oath was waived. There was no ceremony, no auditorium, no hundreds of strangers raising their right hands.
What there was, in a federal office that morning, was a certificate of naturalization, a small American flag, and an officer who set the paperwork aside long enough to let a family take photographs beside the flags.
Sergio is a United States citizen.
“When I saw my father with his certificate, I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, I had so many emotions, but with God’s help everything is possible! And thanks to the people at JAMLAC we finally reached our goal!” — Elena
Sergio’s story is a reminder of two things. The first is that older adults and people living with disabilities have a right to citizenship, and the law has a path for them, even when that path is hard to find. The second is that no family should have to navigate it alone.
JAMLAC’s immigration legal services and older adult programs are provided free of charge. If you or someone you love needs help, we are here.
www.jamlac.org, (303) 839-1008