Naturalization Ceremony For 50 People Planned At George Washington's Estate

MOUNT VERNON, VA — A naturalization ceremony planned at the first U.S. president's estate will make 50 people U.S. citizens this Friday.

George Washington's Mount Vernon will host U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' naturalization ceremony on the Bowling Green at 11 a.m. Friday. Mount Vernon's ceremony is part of 235 naturalization ceremonies featuring over 19,000 new citizens for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' annual Citizenship Day and Constitution Week celebration from Sept. 17 to 23.

To become a U.S. citizen, candidates must go through a 10-step process once they've had a green card for at least five years or three years if married to a U.S. citizen and meet various requirements. Ceremonies held at historic landmarks like Mount Vernon offer significance to immigrants who have completed the rigorous process.

The 50 candidates for naturalization come from 43 different countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Grenada, Honduras, India, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. Ten of the candidates serve in the U.S. military.

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