Citizenship swearing-in ceremonies are beginning to take place again, after being postponed for months because of COVID-19.
In pre-pandemic times, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services ceremonies were joyful occasions attended by friends and family, with speeches, singing and videos.
It is one part of normal life that has not moved online.
"There is actually a federal law that requires citizenship ceremonies to be conducted in person," USF Professor of Law and Migration Studies Bill Hing said. "And a lot of things have to happen in person. They have to turn over their old green cards, they have to sign a document that says that they’re a U.S. citizen."
In San Francisco, smaller citizenship ceremonies will resume in mid-June. While that is good news for some, there are concerns that citizenship offices will not be able to clear through the backlog created by the pandemic in time for the November presidential election.
While Californians have until mid-October to register, in other states the deadline is much sooner.
"For example in Georgia and Michigan, you have to register by July 13," Hing said. "That’s right around the corner."
Ceremonies will differ from office to office. Some citizens may be sworn in alone or in significantly smaller groups, with some ceremonies expected to take place on courthouse steps and in parking lots and conference rooms.