Expedited Naturalization through U.S. Military Service
Posted Mar 13, 2009
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The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced a new pilot program that will recruit foreign health care professionals and linguists. This will permit those selected to benefit from certain provisions to be placed on a fast track to U.S. citizenship. The new Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program was announced on February 23, 2009, and a description can be found online (PDF 16.8KB).
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Direct U.S. Citizenship Possible without Permanent Resident Status
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On November 25, 2008, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates authorized the Army, Navy, and Air Force to implement a new program known by the acronym, MAVNI. This program allows legally present noncitizens, with selected in-demand skills, to join the U.S. military. These individuals would be eligible for favorable naturalization provisions, allowing for applications for U.S. citizenship without the requirement of first becoming lawful permanent residents. Regular MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers may recall that these military naturalizations were first authorized by Executive Order under President George W. Bush on July 3, 2002, as reported in our July 12, 2002 MurthyDotCom NewsBrief, Expedited Naturalization for Certain Military Personnel.
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MAVNI Expands Eligibility for Enlistment in U.S. Military
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Before MAVNI went into effect on February 23, 2009, there were limited categories of people who could enlist in the U.S. military. With the start of MAVNI, nonimmigrants who hold certain statuses (including E, F, H, I, J, K, L, M, O, P, Q, R, S, T, TC, TD, TN, U, or V) or who hold asylee, refugee, or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) may be eligible to enlist through the MAVNI program. Those who are present in the U.S. pursuant to B visa status, or who entered on the Visa Waiver Program, are not eligible to enlist. Likewise, those who are present in the U.S. without authorization are not eligible to enlist. Applicants must not have had a single absence from the U.S. in excess of 90 days for the two-year period prior to enlistment.
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Option for Health Care Workers and Fluency in Certain Languages
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Through MAVNI, the U.S. Armed Forces will recruit nationwide for health care professionals and in New York City for those fluent in certain languages. More information for health care workers and for individuals with language skills can be found on the U.S. Army website.
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Health care professionals will have the choice between a three-year contractual active duty tour or a six-year commitment to serving in the military's Selected Reserve. Both physicians and nurses may seek enlistment through MAVNI as health care professionals.
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MAVNI language recruits must enlist for a minimum four-year contractual active duty tour. Applicants should make sure that they fully understand this commitment, and any other standard requirements beyond these timeframes that apply when enlisting in the U.S. Army.
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Positions Available to MAVNI Enlistees
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The list of medical specialties sought is set out in Appendix 2 of the Army's fact sheet. The list includes a wide range of medical practice areas and specialties for physicians. There is also a need for general dentists and oral surgeons, as well as all nursing specialties. There are other positions available, such as physician's assistant, clinical psychologist, optometrist, and veterinarian.
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Language Fluencies Sought
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The MAVNI program is seeking individuals proficient in the following languages: Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Burmese, Cambodian-Khmer, Chinese, Czech, Hausa, Hindi, Hungarian, Igbo, Indonesian, Korean, Kurdish, Lao, Malay, Malayalam, Moro, Nepalese, Persian (both Dari and Farsi), Polish, Punjabi, Pushtu (aka Pashto), Russian, Sindhi, Sinhalese, Somali, Swahili, Tamil, Turkish, Turkmen, Urdu, and Yoruba.
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Minimum Service of Five Years and 1000 Naturalizations Permitted
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The MAVNI program requires that all naturalized enlistees complete at least five years of honorable military service or their naturalization may be revoked. The MAVNI program will end on December 31, 2009, or when 1,000 individuals have been recruited, whichever occurs first. The MAVNI program could be extended or expanded, based upon decisions by the U.S. Department of Defense.
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Conclusion
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The Murthy Law Firm acknowledges the challenging but rewarding path to citizenship offered by the MAVNI program. We are pleased to be able to share information to provide another option for interested individuals through U.S. military service and will continue to provide helpful updates that will be available on MurthyDotCom and in the MurthyBulletin.