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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      BMT trainees become US citizens under new streamlined naturalization processPublished April 27, 2023
                    
                    By Vanessa Adame
                    
                    
                    37th Training Wing Public Affairs
            **JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas (AFNS) --**Fourteen trainees in******basicmilitarytraining**at**Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland**raised their right hands and are now the first to complete the new streamlined naturalization process making them U.S. citizens and allowing them to graduate as American Airmen.Airman First Class D'elbrah Assamoi from Cote D’Ivoire signs her U.S. Certificate of Citizenship after the Basic Military Training Coin Ceremony at JBSA-Lackland, April 26, 2023. Fourteen Airmen became the first U.S. citizens here under the new streamlined Naturalization Process at BMT. The Airmen were part of approximately 500 trainees from the 326th Training Squadron who graduated this week. The process is part of an effort to revive the naturalization path for immigrants and allow trainees to become citizens before they graduate. It’s just one of several initiatives the Air Force is taking to remove barriers to service amid the current challenging recruiting environment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Vanessa R. Adame)Airman 1st Class D'elbrah Assamoi from Côte d'Ivoire signs her U.S. Certificate of Citizenship after the basic military training graduation ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, April 26, 2023. Fourteen Airmen out of approximately 500 graduating trainees from the 326th Training Squadron became the first U.S. citizens under the new streamlined naturalization process at BMT. The process is part of an effort to revive the naturalization path for immigrants and allow trainees to become citizens before they graduate. (U.S. Air Force photo by Vanessa R. Adame)
            
            
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Over the course of theirseven and a half weeks of training in BMT, the trainees accomplished the necessary paperwork and took their citizenship test and **oath ofallegiance**. The first three accomplished their process as early as April 11, and the remaining trainees by April 25. All were formally recognized as U.S. citizens at the Airman’s Coin and Retreat Ceremony, April 26. 
 Airman 1st Class NataliaLaziuk, 31, from Russia, was one of the first three Airmen to take the oath and become a citizen. Laziuk said she had been dreaming of becoming a citizen since she was 11 years old. 
 “I will always be grateful for every opportunity I have here in the best country of the world,” she added. 
 These trainees’ citizenship ceremonies were much like any other – with only one difference: the person administering the oath was on a computer monitor, miles away. 
 The online process is part of the**U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services**'**Naturalization at Basic Training Initiative**that allows trainees the opportunity to become citizens before they graduate. It’s just one of several initiatives the Air Force is taking to remove barriers to service amid the current******challenging******recruiting environment. 
 “Their desire to become citizens exemplifies their commitment and dedication to the United States,” said****Col. John P. O’Dell,**37th Training Wing******vice commander. “When we began the partnership with USCIS, we asked all trainees who would be interested in starting their application, and 111 raised their hands. These trainees volunteered to serve a country they aren’t yet citizens of, and now we get to formally recognize them upon their graduation as American Airmen.” 
 The 37thTW partnered with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in March to reimplement the program after policy changes in 2017 changed processing timelines that affected a trainee’s ability to naturalize prior to graduation. 
 William Fischer, 737 TRG training director, emphasized the naturalization process begins with recruiters – long before trainees step foot in basic training. 
 “Recruiters can prepare the trainees before they arrive here so that trainees can bring all their necessary documents with them to BMT,” Fischer said. “This is important to help ensure participants can earn their citizenship before they graduate.” 
 Nearly the entire program is accessible online, making it more convenient for trainees to complete the application. Upon arrival at BMT, recruits can scan a QR code, immediately create their USICS account, and start their application. They also have a study guide at their fingertips – a 100-question sample test – loaded onto their tablets to help them prepare for the final test, which they must complete, along with a virtual interview, before they can earn their U.S. citizenship. 
 The online program also serves as an advantage to those who don’t complete the naturalization process at BMT, as they can continue at their follow-on technical training or first operational assignment. 
 Airman Miguel Angelo Flores decided to join the Air Force to do something positive with his life. Flores found the Air Force to be a perfect fit for him. 
 “I am dedicating myself to my country,” said Flores, 22, from the Philippines. 
 The14 Airmen and their country of origin are:

Eva NurtenAkman, Turkey JonathanAndobolo Orozco, Mexico D’Elbrah Assamoi, Côte d'Ivoire Jordan Flash, Jamaica Miguel Angelo Flores, Philippines LionelFogang, Cameroon JoshuaFancisco, Philippines Ivine Kiburi, Kenya NataliaLaziuk, Russia RossMudie, South Africa Christian Munoz-Medina, El Salvador Xitlaine Roache, Jamaica Roel Watson, Jamaica Teon Whyte, Jamaica 
 To learn more about thenaturalization process at BMT, visit**here**.FS 



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