Over 4,000 new American citizens will be welcomed to the States in a series of ceremonies to mark the 231st anniversary of the Fourth of July this week.
Staff with the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are responsible for the naturalisation of thousands of foreigners who come to work in the USA each year and will be hosting a series of events across the country - and further afield - to embrace its latest arrivals.
Disney World in Orlando will host a concert on July 4th for 1,000 new citizens, while a ceremony in Philadelphia will naturalise more than 100, as the immigration department shows off a debut film for overseas entrants who come to work in the USA.
Around 425 members of the American armed forces, stationed in Iraq, Guam, Germany, Kuwait and South Korea will also be made fully-fledged citizens.
“Citizenship is the most precious gift that our country can bestow upon anyone,” said USCIS director Emilio Gonzalez.
“Today we celebrate the fact that in the USA you can enter the country as an immigrant and in time become as fully an American citizen as the most direct descendants of our founding fathers.”
The USCIS naturalises in excess of 700,000 new Americans each year.
Contributed by J.Bevan
