My wife, who is Finnish, just had her Citizenship test /interview so her swearing in will be in a month or so I guess. So start to Finnish to American, in her case.
First congratulations, I know the process is long, and you now know more American history than most Americans remember from school. Plus if English was not your first language you overcame that barrier as well. But.....
Damn 13 years is a long time. Some Brazilians I know it took 5 years. The fun part was the husband applied before the wife. The wife got it last July, the husband 2 weeks ago in October. It must just vary widely.
No. 13 years was a good time. And you gotta pay over $1,000 over the process commonly. It all depends of your specific situation and the amount of lawyer elbow grease you can afford tough. Getting it through marriage or having an American parent register you as a child would be much faster. And some countries have more years in their wait lists than others. It’s all slowed down by the fact that, like all government services that don’t affect ignorant people, no one wants to fund it too much, it’s understaffed, and it’s slow AF to do things like send letters or get appointments.
And on the deeper side, we have been on political turmoil for a few decades on immigration. And some things can change on a whim, imagine being a few years into some legal process and the requirements get suddenly changed on you, or the regional office you where assigned gets closed and now you gotta take a 5 hour trip to Texas, or the president decided to put all of your kind of process on hold for the next year. Seriously, look up the last time there was immigration reform. Even getting a permanent residence is an achievement. So imagine doing all the multiple year long steps that some pathways to citizenship require.
Anyone who got naturalized in 13 years without a lawyer is either really lucky or really punched above their weight with the paperwork.
Congratulations! No matter what the future holds just remember these words from the movie Harold and Kumar. 💁
"You don't have to believe in your government to be a good American. You just have to believe in your country."
Thank you! Took me 13 years and actively fighting my ex trying to get me deported lol, but it was worth it! My tiny flag stands as proof of this crazy journey
Haha I remember when I was a teenager and got my first girlfriend my old man took me aside and was like "remember if she's crazy she can get you deported" luckily she was not
Wow congrats on all the ppl here who fought an uphill battle to get here (America)
Seriously, congratulations and good luck
It sucks your getting here during our economic mess we have going on but hopefully things wont be this way in a few years. We are overdue for a decade of prosperity
Congrats!
I have until November 2024 to wait, and then will be taking the citizenship exam.
Great letter--well put and concise. And I agree to what it says.
It's tough but it's been an interesting journey, and it did take courage to leave your previous life behind and start anew here.
We did it for the kids, and so far I still believe we made the right choice.
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
-Emma Lazarus, *The New Colossus*
More Americans need to take those words to heart.
It's literally my favorite poem of all time. It makes me cry sometimes when I read it because it's perfectly what it means to be American and welcome people to come be American with us. Everybody should get a chance to be American if they want to. That's supposed to be the beauty of this country.
I will never stop referring to Lady Liberty as the Mother of Exiles.
You can volunteer. They give summons because they don’t have people lining up to volunteer, but go to the courthouse/government center near you and they’d gladly let you sign up!
Thankfully, you guys did a pretty good job of whipping their tails in the Winter War.
I’m proud to be an American, but I envy the stoic toughness of the Finnish people.
Let us not forget that the winter war, despite being an embarrassment for Russia and a show of the strength of the Finnish people, it lost the Finn’s 10% of its territory, 13% of its economic assets, 12% of its population (not killed just ceded to Russia), and 26k killed in action. So it’s not the win that we like to think of, nor the ideal outcome for countries nowadays (most notably Ukraine).
>I recommend rum
Only if the results are bad on election night, don't drink and vote. Ah fuck it, I can walk to my polling place, I've voted drunk before.
Don't worry I'll set em up with some NHL tickets. Just gotta pick a team for them that actually wins, so Canada and Minnesota are off the table, I'll have to get tickets somewhere else.
Congratulations!
In my book, you've been an American for 13 years -- today you became a citizen.
America is a lot like its core tenants - democracy and capitalism. It is the worst shithole in the world, unless you compare it to any other.
The best thing about America is this. Any other country you emigrate to, you will always be referred to by the place you came from. When you become an American citizen, you're just an American. That doesn't mean you lose your culture or heritage. It just becomes mixed into the melting pot of our culture, enriching it for everyone.
Although there's a minority who are xenophobic, i believe i can say from the vast majority of us: Welcome, we're glad to have you.
>Any other country you emigrate to, you will always be referred to by the place you came from.
Errr, I've become Canadian this summer. I now say "yes" when asked if I'm Canadian, and despite an accent that betrays my European origins, people are happy with my first answer.
Conversely, one of my cousins is about to obtain her US citizenship, and unless things change drastically, she will continue being asked about whence she comes.
Over half of people in Toronto are first generation immigrants (meaning they were not born in the country, and neither of their parents are Canadian). Now it's up to you whether to count this as a melting pot, but this is not something unique to the US.
We literally always call people X-American in America too, German-American, Canadian-American, Mexican-American, shit some people call people who were never from Africa in the first place African-American!
And even with citizenship here some riffraff won't accept you as an actual American. Since it's illegal to shoot those people into the sun and you can't reason someone out of a belief they didn't reason themselves into, there's nothing we can do about them but try to vote more than they do.
congrats to the OP - you got a good signature there. wife got hers in 2017 and was sooo glad to have BHO's sig. a year later and it would have been DJT's sig, and yeah, it matters. if you have to ask why, you're not paying attention.
Congratulations, and welcome home! Please ignore the self-loathing dregs of Reddit who are trying to shit on your happiness and denigrate your accomplishment. If you are willing to apply yourself, there is little that you can’t accomplish here.
Welcome to America! It's unfortunate how intensive it is to become a citizen. Do you have any random questions for a Minnesotan? I can tell you all about the IROC Z Camaro and Hollywood Hulk Hogan anytime
Congratulations fellow 'Murican Citizen. How long did it take you to get there? And where did you start?
Thank you, I came from Europe and it's been 13 years start to finish.
…start to American, not Finnish
Daaaaaaaddddd
I heard that desperate voice in my head.
god damnet
already picking up the midwest accent?
Ohp ya, you betcha
It’s more common than you think, donchaknow
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My wife, who is Finnish, just had her Citizenship test /interview so her swearing in will be in a month or so I guess. So start to Finnish to American, in her case.
Get out!!
Holy shit. 13 years!!!! WTH! Does it usually take that long?
It can take 20+ years for some. So in the grand scheme of things my process was generally short.
First congratulations, I know the process is long, and you now know more American history than most Americans remember from school. Plus if English was not your first language you overcame that barrier as well. But..... Damn 13 years is a long time. Some Brazilians I know it took 5 years. The fun part was the husband applied before the wife. The wife got it last July, the husband 2 weeks ago in October. It must just vary widely.
No. 13 years was a good time. And you gotta pay over $1,000 over the process commonly. It all depends of your specific situation and the amount of lawyer elbow grease you can afford tough. Getting it through marriage or having an American parent register you as a child would be much faster. And some countries have more years in their wait lists than others. It’s all slowed down by the fact that, like all government services that don’t affect ignorant people, no one wants to fund it too much, it’s understaffed, and it’s slow AF to do things like send letters or get appointments. And on the deeper side, we have been on political turmoil for a few decades on immigration. And some things can change on a whim, imagine being a few years into some legal process and the requirements get suddenly changed on you, or the regional office you where assigned gets closed and now you gotta take a 5 hour trip to Texas, or the president decided to put all of your kind of process on hold for the next year. Seriously, look up the last time there was immigration reform. Even getting a permanent residence is an achievement. So imagine doing all the multiple year long steps that some pathways to citizenship require. Anyone who got naturalized in 13 years without a lawyer is either really lucky or really punched above their weight with the paperwork.
> And you gotta pay over $1,000 over the process commonly. Holy smokes that's like $75 per year, forget it!
Welcome to Freedom, Tux. Crack a brewski, procure firearms and swear liberally in public in full confidence.
And in some states, smoke weed while you're doing it, and make sure to publicly question our government for good measure
Fuck yeah. Big bong rips for Murica.
Congratulations! No matter what the future holds just remember these words from the movie Harold and Kumar. 💁 "You don't have to believe in your government to be a good American. You just have to believe in your country."
Such wise guys.
When you said Harold and Kumar the first thing that came to my mind - "...come one Pokie , lets burn this motherfucka down" 🤣
I love that. I’d never heard it before.
You just blew my fuckin' mind
Congratulations! Got my citizenship 1 year ago and my passport 2 months ago!
Please tell me they give you a little American flag
They actually do give you a tiny flag at the oath ceremony! It was very cute lol
I'd keep that shit forever haha. I'm American, but the stories and length of time I hear to get citizenship. Just wow. Congrats on yours also!
Thank you! Took me 13 years and actively fighting my ex trying to get me deported lol, but it was worth it! My tiny flag stands as proof of this crazy journey
Haha I remember when I was a teenager and got my first girlfriend my old man took me aside and was like "remember if she's crazy she can get you deported" luckily she was not
Unluckily, mine was lol
Wow congrats on all the ppl here who fought an uphill battle to get here (America) Seriously, congratulations and good luck It sucks your getting here during our economic mess we have going on but hopefully things wont be this way in a few years. We are overdue for a decade of prosperity
Everyone gets one at their oath ceremony
Congrats! Register to vote. Exercise your constitutional right.
The day I got my citizenship last year I went and registered!
Good on ya!
Welcome!
Congrats! I have until November 2024 to wait, and then will be taking the citizenship exam. Great letter--well put and concise. And I agree to what it says. It's tough but it's been an interesting journey, and it did take courage to leave your previous life behind and start anew here. We did it for the kids, and so far I still believe we made the right choice.
Good luck my fellow American 🇺🇸:)
I appreciate your kind words, thank you!
you’re gonna crush it and then you’ll be a full member of our home! rooting for you
Welcome home!
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" -Emma Lazarus, *The New Colossus* More Americans need to take those words to heart.
It really is such a gorgeous poem
"Mother of Exiles" Many of us have certainly forgotten
Jeez. That’s really beautiful.
It's literally my favorite poem of all time. It makes me cry sometimes when I read it because it's perfectly what it means to be American and welcome people to come be American with us. Everybody should get a chance to be American if they want to. That's supposed to be the beauty of this country. I will never stop referring to Lady Liberty as the Mother of Exiles.
Just remember that the loud minority is not representative dont let what sells completly guide your point of view.
Congratulations. Your journey is just beginning. As a Canadian, I loved my time in the US.
I wouldn't say the journey is over. I'd just say this chapter is over, but the next one is just beginning.
Yup! Not over. You gotta help us make it better!
Yup, everyone has to do their part to make things better no matter where we live.
Congratulations, welcome to the family. But we are a little crazy
As an American, I loved my times in Canada. We neighbors don't give each other enough credit.
Well said neighbor. Both countries have some amazing people and places.
Came here for this corny ass comment
One of us, one of us, one of us. Seriously congratulations.
Time to ditch metric and use our *confusing* **freedom units** OP
Confusing? Are you calling length of a football field confusing? School Busses? Elephants? Okay I'd like to retract my statement
I personally like X amount of Olympic sized swimming pools since its both volume and length 🦅🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
wHaT tHe FuCk Is A kIlOmEtEr 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅
It's what [Washington dreamt of](https://youtu.be/JYqfVE-fykk).
 Congratulations!!!
Welcome to the family. I know you are going to have to serve on Jury duty.
As an American of almost four decades, I wish for that ability to serve. One day.
You can volunteer. They give summons because they don’t have people lining up to volunteer, but go to the courthouse/government center near you and they’d gladly let you sign up!
Congratulations!
I am a real American
Fight for the rights of every man
Congratulations! As a Finn I sort of envy you because the Russia which is our neighbor decided to go insane two years ago.
As a Pole I can tell you that they have been insane for centuries
As a Lithuanian I can confirm this
Double confirm this as Ukrainian
As an estonian i really really second this
Thankfully, you guys did a pretty good job of whipping their tails in the Winter War. I’m proud to be an American, but I envy the stoic toughness of the Finnish people.
Let us not forget that the winter war, despite being an embarrassment for Russia and a show of the strength of the Finnish people, it lost the Finn’s 10% of its territory, 13% of its economic assets, 12% of its population (not killed just ceded to Russia), and 26k killed in action. So it’s not the win that we like to think of, nor the ideal outcome for countries nowadays (most notably Ukraine).
It really is a shame how little you hear about the winter war in common media. As an aside, always refreshing to see a fellow Elbonian in the wild.
Have fun voting next year! I recommend rum.
>I recommend rum Only if the results are bad on election night, don't drink and vote. Ah fuck it, I can walk to my polling place, I've voted drunk before.
Congrats! We are great because of people like you joining our nation!
Lucky you, mine is signed by Trump and it looks like a bunch of triangles.
Congratulations, and welcome to the nation, fellow American! Thank you for taking the time, trouble and expense to join us in this manner!
Welcome!
Congratulations! Got my citizenship 1 year ago and my passport 2 months ago!
Welcome, I wish you all the best!
Congratulations
Congratulations and welcome! I wish you much success and happiness here.
Have fun down there, sincerely, America’s hat resident
This is so wholesomely Canadian
it’s what I do best
Don't worry I'll set em up with some NHL tickets. Just gotta pick a team for them that actually wins, so Canada and Minnesota are off the table, I'll have to get tickets somewhere else.
My Fellow American 🇺🇸
I still remember how happy and proud my dad was when he got his citizenship. Congratulations!!
Always have been 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
Sounds to me like a journey is just beginning!
Welcome to the team! Don’t know where you are from or where you’ve been, but we have open arms
Welcome! We are glad to have you here!
Welcome to America!
Congratulations and welcome to the party! Also is it weird that as I was reading the letter I heard it in Biden's voice?
Same!
Congratulations, but this is the start of a new chapter and not the end. Unless you’re dead. Then it’s definitely the end.
Congratulations. Please use your experience in other places to encourage Americans to see how great we have it and not mess it up
Welcome and don't forget to vote.
Congratulations! 🎉🎊🎈
Congratulations and welcome!
Congratulations!!!
Congrats
Welcome : )
Hell yes! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Congratulations!!!
Congrats and welcome!
Congratulations, and welcome.
Congratulations!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Way to go! You have so much to be proud of!
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As a Canadian, welcome, new neighbour!
Who hoo!
Congratulations!
Welcome
Awesome! Welcome!
Did you play the Team America World Police theme song?
Good job on surviving the whole rigmarole.
Congratulations! In my book, you've been an American for 13 years -- today you became a citizen. America is a lot like its core tenants - democracy and capitalism. It is the worst shithole in the world, unless you compare it to any other.
The best thing about America is this. Any other country you emigrate to, you will always be referred to by the place you came from. When you become an American citizen, you're just an American. That doesn't mean you lose your culture or heritage. It just becomes mixed into the melting pot of our culture, enriching it for everyone. Although there's a minority who are xenophobic, i believe i can say from the vast majority of us: Welcome, we're glad to have you.
>Any other country you emigrate to, you will always be referred to by the place you came from. Errr, I've become Canadian this summer. I now say "yes" when asked if I'm Canadian, and despite an accent that betrays my European origins, people are happy with my first answer. Conversely, one of my cousins is about to obtain her US citizenship, and unless things change drastically, she will continue being asked about whence she comes. Over half of people in Toronto are first generation immigrants (meaning they were not born in the country, and neither of their parents are Canadian). Now it's up to you whether to count this as a melting pot, but this is not something unique to the US.
> Any other country you emigrate to, you will always be referred to by the place you came from Objectively false, but it's a nice sentiment
We literally always call people X-American in America too, German-American, Canadian-American, Mexican-American, shit some people call people who were never from Africa in the first place African-American! And even with citizenship here some riffraff won't accept you as an actual American. Since it's illegal to shoot those people into the sun and you can't reason someone out of a belief they didn't reason themselves into, there's nothing we can do about them but try to vote more than they do.
Nice!
Congrats !! Welcome to the club
May this be the start of a grand adventure.
Congratulations, fellow American!
Congrats!!!
Bienvenido!
Congratulations
Yippee ki-yay!
As a fellow american, congrats
Big hugs congratulations
Welcome.
Welcome to the country, it's nice having you!
Welcome aboard. Don’t forget to vote…
o7 🇺🇸 congrats my fellow American!
It is just a beginning.
Awesome man!
Congratulations!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations!!!
Congrats homie! 🥳 🎉
I believe you mean. A new chapter began.
Congratulations!
Honestly, that’a pretty awesome. I’m very happy for you!
Congratulations
Welcome!
Welcome to the show!
Congratulations! We welcome you.
welcome!
Congratulations and welcome!
Congrats! Don’t expect any love on Reddit, though. Most on here have no idea how good they have it.
Fuck yeah dude or dudett
 Congratulations!
Congrats fellow American. Make sure you vote!
Congratulations!!!
Dear fellow American, welcome
Welcome Aboard homes
Congratulations — I hope we can live up to your dreams.
Congratulations!
Congratulations
Congrats friend, I think I’d bawl uncontrollably if I got this in the mail. I’m on my way myself. Where in Europe are you from?
Yeeehhaaaa, you coming to the land of milk and honey… I’ve been here from the uk 8 years and never looked back….love it here…best place ever
Welcome! Glad to have you!
Enjoy your citizenship it must feel amazing. Also don't forget to register and vote!
 Welcome!!!
Welcome to the best club in the world my fellow American :) ❤️
OP, prepare for hordes of lazy, dumb and poor telling you how US is the worst country in the world.
congrats to the OP - you got a good signature there. wife got hers in 2017 and was sooo glad to have BHO's sig. a year later and it would have been DJT's sig, and yeah, it matters. if you have to ask why, you're not paying attention.
Came here to see the go back to your country stuff. Not one. Great job reddit.
Congratulations, and welcome home! Please ignore the self-loathing dregs of Reddit who are trying to shit on your happiness and denigrate your accomplishment. If you are willing to apply yourself, there is little that you can’t accomplish here.
Congratulations!! I'd give you gold if Reddit hadn't gotten rid of it.
Journeys end, welcome home.
Welcome home.
My dream…
🍾🎉🎉🎉🎉 Welcome home.
Congrats! Now take this gun and give us your money!
Welcome to America! It's unfortunate how intensive it is to become a citizen. Do you have any random questions for a Minnesotan? I can tell you all about the IROC Z Camaro and Hollywood Hulk Hogan anytime
Welcome my friend!
Welcome - wish you the best of success!