• An immigration language requirement refers to the specific level of proficiency that an immigrant must demonstrate in order to be approved for an immigration benefit. In the United States, while there is no language requirement for becoming a permanent resident, this is not the case for immigrants wanting to become U.S. citizens. Immigrants wanting to become naturalized U.S. citizens must demonstrate a basic proficiency in both written and oral English comprehension.
  
  

Test Study Material

• Visit the USCIS's "Study Materials for the Naturalization Test" page to download study materials for the naturalization test. To go to this page, see the Resources section.
  
  The naturalization test is comprised of four main sections: reading, speaking, writing and civics. The reading section will test your ability to read basic sentences in English, while the speaking section will test your ability to understand spoken American English. The writing section is intended to verify that you can write simple sentences in English. The civics section will measure your understanding about various aspects of American society and culture.
  
  

Test Preparation

• Study the test preparation material provided by USCIS. Note that USCIS understands that naturalization applicants come from a wide variety of socio-educational backgrounds. As a result, the naturalization test is only intended to test basic English understanding. If you can communicate with an English speaker, then you should have no problem passing the language requirements of the naturalization test.
  
  

Language Requirement Exception

• While U.S. immigration law requires that all naturalization applicants meet basic English proficiency standards, you may qualify for an exception if you meet certain requirements. According to USCIS, you may qualify for an English language exception "if you are age 50 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident (green card holder) in the United States for 20 years (commonly referred to as the '50/20' exception), or age 55 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident in the United States for 15 years (commonly referred to as the '55/15' exception)." For more information on applying for an exception, see the Resources section.
  
  However, note that while you may qualify for an English language exception, all naturalization applicants are required to take the civics test. Therefore, the civics test cannot be waived.