Ohio State to host state's largest U.S. citizenship ceremony

A group of nearly 800 Columbus-area residents from 88 countries will take the Oath of Allegiance and become United States citizens during a special ceremony Friday, April 29th, at The Ohio State University. This will be the largest citizenship ceremony ever held by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the state of Ohio.

Ohio Secretary of State, J. Kenneth Blackwell will address the new citizens. Other speakers will include Barbara Snyder, Ohio State executive vice president and provost, and Mark Hansen, USCIS Cleveland District Director.

The ceremony is a milestone in USCIS’s effort to reduce the wait for immigration benefits. In the Columbus area, USCIS has cut the wait for citizenship by more that two-thirds in the last year. Nationwide, USCIS will help over 450,000 men, women, and children fulfill their dreams to become U.S. citizens this year.

On March 1, 2003, USCIS became one of three Immigration and Naturalization Service components to join the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. USCIS is charged with fundamentally transforming and improving the delivery of immigration and citizenship services, while enhancing the nation\'s security.

WHAT:United States Citizenship Ceremony

WHEN: 11 a.m. on Friday (4/29)
Applicants for citizenship will begin arriving at 8:30 a.m.
The OSU Spring Pep Band will perform at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Value City Arena at the Jerome Schottenstein Center

** Editor’s Note: Contact Shawn Saucier at (802) 660-5029 for advance contact information on applicants for U.S. citizenship