Admin l Friday, October 13, 2017
PENTAGON, United States – The United States today toughened conditions required for issuance of permanent residence and qualifying for service for the purpose of military naturalisation.
This is due to policy changes to Lawful Permanent Residents and the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) Pilot Program, issued by the Department of Defense, DoD. These changes, according to DoD reflect lessons learned from the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) Pilot Program.
“While the Department recognizes the value of expedited U.S. citizenship achieved through military service, it is in the national interest to ensure all current and prospective service members complete security and suitability screening prior to naturalization”, the department said.
Effective immediately, all LPRs must complete a background investigation and receive a favorable military security suitability determination (MSSD) prior to entry in the active, reserve, or guard service.
This is a change from the current policy, which allows for LPR recruits to ship to initial military training as long as their background investigation had been initiated, and they had cleared all other entry screening requirements.
Effective immediately, in order for a foreign national entering service in the active, reserve, or guard service to receive a certification of honorable service for the purposes of expedited naturalization (citizenship), he or she must complete all security and suitability screening requirements and receive a favorable MSSD, and; complete the initial military training requirements of the service of which they are a member, and; Complete at least 180 consecutive days of active duty service, or at least one year of satisfactory service in the selected reserve.
This is a change from the current practice of certification of honorable service for the purpose of expedited naturalization after “one day of service.”
“For currently serving service members, to include those in the Delayed Training Program, they must complete all security and suitability screening requirements prior to a certification of honorable service.
“Those who may have received a certification of honorable service prior to the completion of all security and suitability screening requirements will have that certification recalled and decertified until, at a minimum, screening requirements are complete”, the DoD said.
The statement added that DoD and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) have established a process to allow for the review and recertification of recalled forms once the individual completes requisite screening requirements.
