School: Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Track: Adult Class: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) Founded and presented by: Muslim Ordained Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
This lesson is educational information, Massachusetts-first, and is not legal advice. Laws and procedures vary by state and by case. If you are in danger right now, call 911. If you have a real case, talk to a lawyer — legal aid organizations help many people for free.
Before you start
- This school never asks your name. Your progress is saved only in your own browser on this device — the school collects and keeps nothing. If you pass this unit's quiz (80% or higher, retakes allowed), you earn a downloadable certificate with a blank line — you write your own name on it after you save it. Quiz answers are not shown; if you miss a question, re-read the lesson and try again.
- This unit teaches how citizenship is earned through naturalization, how to keep the status you already hold, which rights belong to everyone on this soil, and how to spot the frauds aimed at immigrant families. Immigration law is federal and fact-specific — this is the published outline; your own case belongs with the official pages and a real lawyer.
The lesson
Part 1. The naturalization path — eligibility in outline
Naturalization is the process by which a person not born a U.S. citizen becomes one. The agency is U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — USCIS (uscis.gov) — and the application is Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. In outline, USCIS's general eligibility requirements are these.
You must be at least 18 years old when you file. You must already be a lawful permanent resident — a green card holder — generally for at least five years, or at least three years if you are married to and living with a U.S. citizen, as USCIS publishes those categories. You must show continuous residence during that period — long trips abroad can break it — and physical presence here for the required share of that time. You must show good moral character during the required period: USCIS looks at the record you bring, including arrests, taxes, and honesty on forms. You must be able to read, write, and speak basic English, and pass a civics test on U.S. history and government — Part 2 gives the current rule. And you must be willing to take the Oath of Allegiance, the final step that makes a citizen.
The process in outline: file the N-400 (online or by paper), attend a biometrics appointment if USCIS schedules one — fingerprints and a photograph for background checks — then attend the interview, where an officer reviews your application and administers the English and civics testing. If approved, you take the oath at a naturalization ceremony. Fees change, so check the USCIS fee schedule before filing. USCIS's N-400 page states two money protections plainly: an applicant who cannot afford the fee may request a fee waiver with Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, and some applicants qualify for a reduced fee requested on the N-400 itself. One practical rule from that page: requesting a waiver or reduced fee means filing a paper N-400 with the request and its evidence — not filing online.
Part 2. The test itself — English, and the 2025 civics test
The English test has three parts, all inside the interview: speaking, judged through the interview itself; reading sentences aloud; and writing sentences the officer dictates. USCIS publishes exceptions and accommodations — for some older long-term residents and for applicants with qualifying disabilities — so check uscis.gov rather than assuming you are barred.
The civics test changed in 2025, and the filing date decides which version is yours. As USCIS publishes it (checked October 21, 2026): applicants who filed Form N-400 before October 20, 2025 take the 2008 civics test — a pool of 100 study questions, up to 10 asked at the interview, 6 correct to pass. Applicants who filed on or after October 20, 2025 take the 2025 civics test — a pool of 128 study questions, up to 20 asked, 12 correct to pass. Confirm your filing date on your receipt notice before studying a single question.
And the study questions themselves are public: USCIS posts the full lists and study materials free in its Citizenship Resource Center at uscis.gov — nobody should ever pay for the questions. A few answers change when officeholders change; USCIS publishes test updates, so check them close to your interview.
Part 3. Keeping your status — the green card holder's duties
Citizenship is one path; keeping permanent residence in good standing is the daily one. USCIS publishes the core duties, and they are mostly paperwork done on time.
Carry your evidence of status — in practice, the green card itself — as USCIS and the law describe. Report every move. If you change your address, notify USCIS within 10 days, using Form AR-11, Alien's Change of Address Card, or the USCIS online change-of-address tool. A post-office forwarding order is not a substitute: USCIS mail goes to the address USCIS holds, and missed mail has ended real cases. Renew or replace the card on time with Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card — the card expires even though the status underneath it does not. Note USCIS's distinction: a ten-year card is renewed with the I-90; a two-year conditional card follows a different process.
Keep your documents the way this school teaches in Collecting Evidence and Filing It Offline for Safe Keeping: originals protected, copies organized. And keep your own travel record — dates out, dates back — because Part 1's continuous-residence questions are answered from exactly that record.
Part 4. Rights that belong to everyone on this soil
Some rights in the United States do not wait for a passport. Stated carefully, with their limits, they are these.
Emergency medical care. Under the federal law known as EMTALA, a hospital emergency department that receives Medicare funds — most hospitals — must give everyone who comes in an appropriate medical screening examination, and must treat until the condition is stabilized, or arrange an appropriate transfer, as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (cms.gov) describes it. The screening may not be delayed to ask about payment. EMTALA is emergency care only — not health insurance, not ongoing treatment — but in an emergency, go.
A free public education for children. In Plyler v. Doe (1982), studied in Cases & Codes below, the Supreme Court held that a state may not deny children a free public K–12 education because of their immigration status.
Pay for work performed. The U.S. Department of Labor states that its Wage and Hour Division enforces the wage laws without regard to an employee's immigration status (dol.gov): covered workers must be paid for hours worked, at no less than the applicable minimum wage, with overtime as the law provides. Some remedies can be limited by status — a lawyer can explain which — but the right to be paid for work done is not citizen-only.
Silence and a lawyer in criminal matters. These belong to every person, not only citizens. This unit does not reteach that ground: study the Topic Library's Miranda Rights and The Right to Remain Silent units for the warnings, the invocation sentences, and their limits.
Consular notification. Under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, a foreign national who is arrested or detained may ask that their consulate be notified, and consular officers may communicate with and visit the person and help arrange legal representation, as the treaty provides. Say it plainly: you want your consulate notified.
What these rights do not promise. Immigration enforcement is a federal matter; no state or city promise can switch it off, and rights do not stop a lawful arrest or a removal proceeding. Rights work best used early and calmly, with a lawyer.
Part 5. Public charge — the rule as USCIS publishes it today
"Public charge" is widely misunderstood, so this Part states only what USCIS publishes, with its check date. Public charge is a ground of inadmissibility: assessed mainly when a person applies for admission or for a green card (adjustment of status). It is not a test for naturalization, and not a basis for taking away a green card already held.
The rule changed recently, and the dates matter. For years the framework was the 2022 public charge rule, under which the benefits that counted were mainly cash assistance for income maintenance and long-term institutionalization at government expense, and most health, nutrition, and housing benefits did not count. As USCIS publishes it today (checked October 21, 2026), that framework has been replaced: DHS announced a final rule on July 16, 2026, published July 20, 2026, rescinding the 2022 regulations, effective September 18, 2026, with updated USCIS Policy Manual guidance to match. Officers now weigh the statutory factors — age; health; family status; assets, resources, and financial status; and education and skills — with any other relevant factor, in the totality of the circumstances, case by case. For means-tested benefits received before September 18, 2026, USCIS will only consider cash assistance for income maintenance and long-term institutionalization at government expense. For benefits received on or after September 18, 2026, USCIS may consider any means-tested public benefit. Some categories are exempt from the public charge ground altogether, as USCIS lists them.
This school makes no prediction about any family's benefits. The answer for your household depends on the current guidance, your category, and your dates — exactly the questions a legal aid lawyer answers for free. Read the USCIS guidance itself before deciding anything about benefits your family needs.
Part 6. Notario fraud — and getting real help in Massachusetts
The cruelest scam in this field trades on one word. In many countries a notario is a senior legal professional. In the United States, a notary public is not a lawyer — the office witnesses signatures — and the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov) warns plainly: notarios are not lawyers; do not pay them for immigration services. Only two kinds of people may charge for immigration legal help: a licensed attorney, and a DOJ-accredited representative working through an organization recognized by the Department of Justice. Bad filings by unqualified helpers have cost families their status, deadlines, and eligibility.
Check before you pay. The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) publishes the Recognized Organizations and Accredited Representatives Roster at justice.gov — if the organization and the person are not on it, they are not accredited, whatever the sign says. Attorneys can be checked through their state bar. Then keep the habits that defeat this fraud: never sign a blank form, or one not read back to you in a language you understand; keep your original documents — hand over copies; keep every paper and receipt; get a second opinion before any large payment; and remember USCIS forms are free at uscis.gov — anyone charging for the blank form is already lying.
Real help exists in Massachusetts, by name. The MIRA Coalition (Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, miracoalition.org) publishes a legal services directory of Massachusetts providers who work through attorneys or DOJ-accredited representatives, and helps green card holders prepare for citizenship. Greater Boston Legal Services (gbls.org) provides free civil legal assistance, including an Immigration Unit, to low-income residents of Boston and surrounding communities. The Commonwealth's front door is mass.gov — its Resources for Immigrants in Massachusetts page and Office for Refugees and Immigrants. Start there, verify the helper, and keep your papers.
Words to know — New Americans
- Naturalization — the legal process by which a person who was not born a U.S. citizen becomes one, ending with the Oath of Allegiance.
- Lawful permanent resident — a person allowed to live and work in the United States permanently; the holder of a green card.
- Continuous residence — living in the United States without a break long enough to interrupt eligibility for naturalization, as USCIS defines it.
- Physical presence — the time a person is actually inside the United States, counted toward naturalization eligibility.
- Good moral character — the standard USCIS applies to an applicant's record and conduct during the required period before naturalization.
- Biometrics — fingerprints and a photograph collected by USCIS for identity and background checks.
- Public charge — a ground of inadmissibility based on how likely a person is to become primarily dependent on government support, as USCIS's current guidance defines the assessment.
- Accredited representative — a person accredited by the Department of Justice to give immigration legal help through a recognized organization.
- Notario fraud — the scam in which a notary public or unqualified helper charges for immigration legal services only a lawyer or accredited representative may provide.
- Consular notification — the treaty right of a detained foreign national to ask that their home country's consulate be told of the detention.
Myths vs facts — New Americans
- Myth: A notario in the United States has the same legal authority as in many other countries. Fact: In the U.S., a notary public only witnesses signatures. Only licensed attorneys and DOJ-accredited representatives may charge for immigration legal help.
- Myth: Everyone applying today studies the same 100 civics questions. Fact: The filing date decides. N-400 applications filed on or after October 20, 2025 use the 2025 test — 128 study questions, up to 20 asked, 12 correct to pass (checked October 21, 2026).
- Myth: If your green card expires, your permanent residence expires with it. Fact: The card expires; the status does not. Renew the card with Form I-90 — and report any move to USCIS within 10 days on Form AR-11.
- Myth: Using any public benefit automatically makes a person a public charge. Fact: USCIS decides case by case under its current guidance, weighing statutory factors and the benefits rules that apply to the dates the benefits were received. It is not automatic, and it is not a naturalization test.
- Myth: A child without papers can be turned away from public school. Fact: Under Plyler v. Doe (1982), a state may not deny children a free public education because of immigration status.
Think it through — New Americans
The situation: Ana has been a permanent resident for six years and wants to apply for citizenship. A storefront helper who calls himself a notario offers to "handle everything" for cash, asks her to sign several blank forms, and offers to sell her the civics questions. She is not sure which test she will even take. What should Ana do?
Walk it through: (1) Stop the fraud first (Part 6): a notario in the U.S. is not a lawyer, blank forms are never to be signed, and the civics questions are free from USCIS — three lies in one offer. (2) Verify real help: an attorney, or a DOJ-accredited representative on EOIR's roster at justice.gov; in Massachusetts, MIRA Coalition's directory and Greater Boston Legal Services are named starting points. (3) Establish eligibility (Part 1): six years as a permanent resident, continuous residence and physical presence from her travel record, good moral character, English, and the oath. (4) The test (Part 2): Ana files now — after October 20, 2025 — so she studies the 2025 civics test: 128 questions, up to 20 asked, 12 correct to pass. (5) Money (Part 1): if the fee is a barrier, a paper N-400 with a Form I-912 waiver request, or the reduced fee if she qualifies.
Cases & codes to study — New Americans
Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (U.S. Supreme Court, 1982)
- The facts: A Texas law withheld state education funds for children who had not been legally admitted to the United States and allowed school districts to deny those children enrollment; one district charged the children tuition instead.
- The question: Does denying undocumented children the free public education given to other children violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?
- The ruling and the outcome: Decided June 15, 1982. The Court held the Texas scheme violated the Equal Protection Clause — undocumented persons within a state are "persons" under the Fourteenth Amendment, and the law did not further a substantial state goal. The judgments against Texas were affirmed.
- Why it matters to you: It is the reason a public school cannot turn a child away for lack of immigration status — Part 4's education right rests on this case.
- 📄 Court document: https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/457/202 (the opinion, Legal Information Institute)
The law itself — read the real words
- 8 C.F.R. § 316.2 (Code of Federal Regulations) — the general eligibility rule for naturalization: age, permanent residence, continuous residence, physical presence, and good moral character. Read it: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/renderer/v1/content/enhanced/2024-04-23/title-8?chapter=I&subchapter=C&part=316
- 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(4) (U.S. Code) — the public charge ground of inadmissibility in the Immigration and Nationality Act, § 212(a)(4). Read about its current USCIS guidance: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCIS/bulletins/425863b
- 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd (U.S. Code) — EMTALA: screening and stabilization duties of hospital emergency departments. Read CMS's plain-language summary: https://www.cms.gov/priorities/your-patient-rights/emergency-room-rights
- Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Article 36 (treaty) — a detained foreign national must be informed without delay of the right to have their consulate notified, and, on request, the consulate must be notified.
Where to read the real thing, free: CourtListener (https://www.courtlistener.com), supremecourt.gov, uscode.house.gov, ecfr.gov — the official and free sources for opinions and law.
Try this — New Americans
- ☐ Find your (or a family member's) N-400 filing date on the receipt notice and name which civics test applies — 2008 or 2025.
- ☐ Open the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center at uscis.gov and download the free study list for that test.
- ☐ Check the EOIR Recognized Organizations and Accredited Representatives Roster at justice.gov for one Massachusetts organization.
- ☐ Write down the two deadlines in this unit — AR-11 within 10 days of a move; I-90 to renew a card — and where your own documents are kept.
- ☐ Save the names MIRA Coalition and Greater Boston Legal Services where your family keeps important contacts.
Resources to keep — New Americans
- 911 — if you or someone else is in danger right now.
- USCIS — uscis.gov — Forms N-400, AR-11, I-90, I-912, the fee schedule, and free study materials.
- MIRA Coalition — miracoalition.org — Massachusetts advocacy; legal services directory and citizenship help.
- Greater Boston Legal Services — gbls.org — free civil legal help, including an Immigration Unit.
- mass.gov — Resources for Immigrants in Massachusetts; Office for Refugees and Immigrants.
- Federal Trade Commission — ftc.gov — spotting and reporting immigration services scams.
- U.S. Department of Labor — dol.gov — wage rights regardless of immigration status.
- 988 (call or text) — if this process has become a personal crisis, support is available day and night.
What you earned / what's next — New Americans
✅ New Americans complete (quiz score 80% or higher): You can outline the naturalization path and its eligibility requirements, name which civics test applies by filing date, state a green card holder's address and renewal duties, describe the rights that belong to everyone on this soil and their limits, state the public charge rule as USCIS publishes it today, and recognize and defeat notario fraud.
Your certificate
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Certificate of Completion — New Americans
This certificate is presented by Muslim Ordained Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
Awarded to: ______________________________ (write your name here after you download — your name is never collected or stored by this school)
Date completed: ______________
Congratulations. Papers are a process, and rights are a practice — now you know the path, the deadlines, and the helpers who are real. Welcome, neighbor; study well, and take your place. — Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
This is a certificate of educational completion from Minister Destiny Testimony Schools. It is not a state license, a government certification, or legal training for representing anyone.
What's next: Return to the Topic Library for your next Year 1 Foundations unit.
Sources
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (uscis.gov) — Form N-400 page (https://www.uscis.gov/n-400) — filing, fee waiver and reduced fee, checklist (opened October 21, 2026).
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (uscis.gov) — Citizenship Resource Center / civics test — 2008 test vs. 2025 test by filing date (checked October 21, 2026).
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (content.govdelivery.com, USCIS bulletin) — public charge guidance (https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDHSCIS/bulletins/425863b) — 2026 rule rescinding the 2022 regulations effective September 18, 2026 (opened October 21, 2026).
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (cms.gov) — EMTALA emergency-room rights (https://www.cms.gov/priorities/your-patient-rights/emergency-room-rights).
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (dol.gov) — worker FAQ (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/faq/workers) — wage enforcement regardless of immigration status.
- Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov) — "Scams Against Immigrants" (https://www.ftc.gov/media/79858) — notarios are not lawyers.
- Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Department of Justice (justice.gov) — Recognized Organizations and Accredited Representatives Roster; List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers (https://www.justice.gov/eoir/list-pro-bono-legal-service-providers).
- MIRA Coalition (miracoalition.org) — About Us; Legal Services Directory (https://miracoalition.org/resources/legal-services/).
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts (mass.gov) — Resources for Immigrants in Massachusetts (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/resources-for-immigrants-in-massachusetts); Office for Refugees and Immigrants.
- OpenStax, American Government (openstax.org) — checked: citizenship and civic participation framing.
- Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (U.S. Supreme Court 1982) — a state may not deny children a free public education because of immigration status.
- 8 C.F.R. § 316.2 (Code of Federal Regulations) — general eligibility requirements for naturalization.
- 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(4) (U.S. Code) — the public charge ground of inadmissibility (INA § 212(a)(4)).
- 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd (U.S. Code) — EMTALA: emergency screening and stabilization.
- Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Article 36 (1963) — consular notification and access for detained foreign nationals.
Your Progress — On Your Device Only — New Americans
- Learning outcomes: On completing this unit, the student can:
- outline naturalization eligibility and process, from Form N-400 to the Oath of Allegiance.
- state which civics test applies by filing date, with both pass marks.
- describe the Form I-912 fee waiver and reduced-fee routes and their paper-filing rule.
- state the green card holder's duties: carry evidence of status, report a move within 10 days (Form AR-11), renew the card (Form I-90).
- describe the rights that apply regardless of status — EMTALA, Plyler education, wage enforcement, silence and counsel, consular notification — and their limits.
- state the public charge rule as USCIS publishes it as of October 21, 2026, including the September 18, 2026 change.
- identify notario fraud and verify a helper on the EOIR roster.
- Study time: Approximately 1 hour — an estimate covering reading, activities, and the test. Students move at their own pace.
- Assessment: A 10-question test drawn only from this unit's lesson. 80% or higher passes and earns the unit certificate. Answers are not shown; your score is saved only in your own browser on this device, and retakes are allowed.
- Level: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) · Adult school · working rank on completion path: Freshman → Sophomore.
- Version: Version 1.0 — October 2026.
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools — Adult. Educational information only, not legal advice. Help lines: 911 for emergencies · 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call/text 988).