LOGAN (AP) — There is nothing Emiliano Gouarca wants more than to become a U.S. citizen.
But because the 50-year-old Mexican immigrant had never been taught to read or write in any language, he failed the citizenship test twice and, after spending more than $3,700 in lawyer and application fees, now has to start over from square one.
"I lost a lot of money," Gouarca said. But he hasn't given up hope of citizenship yet — he's taking a basic reading and writing class at the English Language Center of Cache Valley, and plans to apply again for citizenship when he can.
A green-card holder and permanent resident of the United States, Gouarca has been legally living and working in the U.S. for more than 20 years. He can legally do everything a U.S. citizen can, except vote. But because he would like his aging parents to join him in the U.S., and it will be much easier for them to come once he's a citizen, Gouarca is willing to do — and spend — what it takes to speed up the process.
Sally Bishop, who teaches a citizenship course at the English Language Center, said many people who go through the process of becoming a citizen do it for no other reason than that it means so much to them to be an American.
"A lot of people want to become citizens," Bishop said. "They want to because they think it's a great country. ... They want to be citizens because they want to be an American; they're happy, they're proud of that."
Luis Patino, a sophomore business student at Utah State University, just became a U.S. citizen in April. The day he took the oath and received his naturalization certificate, Patino mailed it to the passport office so he could get his new U.S. passport by May 1 — and used it to study abroad with the Huntsman School of Business, visiting Vietnam, China and South Korea as part of the monthlong program.
He's proud of the stamps in his new passport, and proud of his new citizenship, but for Patino, the process was much easier — and much cheaper — than it has been for Gouarca.
"I'm kind of an odd case," Patino said. He explained how his father moved to the United States first, and with his own permanent resident status, obtained permanent residency cards for Luis Patino, his mother, and 10 brothers and sisters.
Patino doesn't remember much, since he was only about 10 at the time, but he does remember a childhood where his father only came home on vacations, and the week-long trip to the Mexican consulate with his family, where they were tested, immunized, filled out paperwork and eventually received green cards to join their father in the United States.
The family moved to Smithfield, where Patino enrolled White Pine Middle School and where he tackled a new language, a new culture and a new life.
"Thanks to my family and to my professors, and all the people that helped me out, I learned the language," Patino said.
The youngest of his siblings, Patino excelled. Upon graduating from Sky View high school in 2010, he was offered a full-ride scholarship to USU, and after turning 18, he decided to pursue citizenship.
"It was time to renew my permanent card, and in high school, (during) senior year, I went to Washington, D.C., for a competition with the "We the People" citizen and constitution group," Patino said. "I wanted to go back and work for the U.S. government, and probably that was one of the biggest reasons — because you can't work for the U.S. government if you just have a permanent resident card."
With some help from his brother, who had also gone through the process of becoming a citizen, Patino downloaded the initial application form, the N-400, and submitted his $695 application fee. He traveled to the Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Salt Lake City three times — to be fingerprinted and undergo an extensive background check; to be interviewed to determine if he qualified for citizenship; and the third time, to take the oath to uphold the Constitution and to be a good citizen.
Then he got his certificate of citizenship.
Bishop said the interview consists of three parts — most of it is geared toward making sure the citizen-to-be can read, speak and understand English. She said citizenship candidates are usually required to answer questions about their application, write some sentences in English and answer questions about the history, culture and government of the United States.
The civics questions are taken from a list of 100, and can include questions about the number of representatives in the U.S. House of the Representatives, either of the world wars, the Gettysburg Address, and what the colors of the flag represent.
Gouarca, who has no problems understanding and speaking English but who failed the interview because he couldn't read or write, returned for his second chance and failed again. The Salt Lake attorney who had guaranteed he could make Gouarca a citizen, and who by the end of the process had taken more than $3,000 of Gouarca's money, could only be present but could not help him during the interview.
Patino, on the other hand, passed all three parts of the interview with flying colors, and spent less because he didn't hire an attorney.
Bishop said the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office estimates there are 8 million people living in the U.S. that are eligible to apply for citizenship.
But what makes all the difference, Patino said, is education. It's the reading and writing skills he is learning through the English Language Center that will help Gouarca to achieve his dream of becoming a U.S. citizen, and it's Patino's educational opportunities that have made all the difference for him.
"Education is everything," Patino said. "It's the best investment that you will probably do in your life."
But not everyone in the land of opportunity realizes what they have, Bishop said.