The Pentagon recently reported that the United States has decided to re-open a program accepting 1,500 recruits a year in the American military, for the next two years. The program is known as Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest, orMavni. This program is unusual because it accepts non-citizens, including both permanent residents and immigrants who are in the US temporarily. Those who are eligible will be accepted on the basis of their special language or medical skills.
The US government is hoping to find native speakers of 44 foreign languages and also people who are highly qualified in the medical, dental and psychological treatment areas. Vietnamese is not one of the languages on the list for this program, but a Vietnamese applicant who speaks one of the included languages could apply.
This program began in 2009 but lasted only a short time. Now it has been re-instated for at least the next two years. The program attracts a lot of interest among non-citizens, even though this group of specially trained linguists and medical personnel are more likely to be called for combat missions.
In order to qualify, immigrants must have been living in the US for two years on a legal basis, such as those here with student visas or temporary work visas or refugee visas. Also, they must have graduated from high school and passed entrance exams. The program is NOT open to illegal aliens.
To enlist, temporary immigrants will have to prove that they have lived in the United States for two years and have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They will have to pass an English test.
The special benefit of this program is that qualified recruits can obtain US citizenship in only a few months. Immigrants who serve in the military can apply to become citizens on the first day of active service, and they can take the oath in as little as six months.
The program requires doctors, dentists and nurses to enlist as officers and remain on active duty for three years or six years in the Reserves. Persons with special language skills must remain on active duty for four years.
When the program was active in 2009, US Army recruiters found that the temporary immigrants who applied had more education, foreign language skills and professional expertise than many Americans who enlist. In that way, they helped the military to fill personnel shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis.
“The American Army finds itself in a lot of different countries where cultural awareness is critical,” said the top recruitment officer for the Army.
Recruiters’ work became easier a few years ago as unemployment soared and more Americans sought to join the military. But the Pentagon, facing a new deployment of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, still had difficulties in attracting doctors, specialized nurses and language experts.
Speaking about the special program, the US Army general in charge of recruiting said, “The Army will gain in its strength in human capital, and the immigrants will gain their citizenship and get on a ramp to the American dream.”
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Q. 1. Can a speaker of Vietnamese qualify as a language specialist in this program?
A.1. The Vietnamese language is not included in the program. However, a Vietnamese person living in the US might qualify if he can speak one of the listed languages, such as Chinese, Lao, Cambodian or Thai.
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Q.2. What happens if the immigrants in this program do not complete their term of service?
A.2. If the immigrants do not complete their service honorably, they could lose their citizenship.
ROBERT MULLINS INTERNATIONAL www.rmiodp.com
Immigration Support Services - Tham Van Di Tru
9070 Bolsa Ave., Westminster CA 92683 (714) 890-9933
779 Story Road, Ste. 70, San Jose, CA 95122 (408) 294-3888
6930 65th St. Ste. #105, Sacramento CA 95823 (916) 393-3388
42 Dang Thi Nhu, P. Nguyen Thai Binh, Q1, HCM (848) 3914-7638
The US government is hoping to find native speakers of 44 foreign languages and also people who are highly qualified in the medical, dental and psychological treatment areas. Vietnamese is not one of the languages on the list for this program, but a Vietnamese applicant who speaks one of the included languages could apply.
This program began in 2009 but lasted only a short time. Now it has been re-instated for at least the next two years. The program attracts a lot of interest among non-citizens, even though this group of specially trained linguists and medical personnel are more likely to be called for combat missions.
In order to qualify, immigrants must have been living in the US for two years on a legal basis, such as those here with student visas or temporary work visas or refugee visas. Also, they must have graduated from high school and passed entrance exams. The program is NOT open to illegal aliens.
To enlist, temporary immigrants will have to prove that they have lived in the United States for two years and have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They will have to pass an English test.
The special benefit of this program is that qualified recruits can obtain US citizenship in only a few months. Immigrants who serve in the military can apply to become citizens on the first day of active service, and they can take the oath in as little as six months.
The program requires doctors, dentists and nurses to enlist as officers and remain on active duty for three years or six years in the Reserves. Persons with special language skills must remain on active duty for four years.
When the program was active in 2009, US Army recruiters found that the temporary immigrants who applied had more education, foreign language skills and professional expertise than many Americans who enlist. In that way, they helped the military to fill personnel shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis.
“The American Army finds itself in a lot of different countries where cultural awareness is critical,” said the top recruitment officer for the Army.
Recruiters’ work became easier a few years ago as unemployment soared and more Americans sought to join the military. But the Pentagon, facing a new deployment of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, still had difficulties in attracting doctors, specialized nurses and language experts.
Speaking about the special program, the US Army general in charge of recruiting said, “The Army will gain in its strength in human capital, and the immigrants will gain their citizenship and get on a ramp to the American dream.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. 1. Can a speaker of Vietnamese qualify as a language specialist in this program?
A.1. The Vietnamese language is not included in the program. However, a Vietnamese person living in the US might qualify if he can speak one of the listed languages, such as Chinese, Lao, Cambodian or Thai.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q.2. What happens if the immigrants in this program do not complete their term of service?
A.2. If the immigrants do not complete their service honorably, they could lose their citizenship.
ROBERT MULLINS INTERNATIONAL www.rmiodp.com
Immigration Support Services - Tham Van Di Tru
9070 Bolsa Ave., Westminster CA 92683 (714) 890-9933
779 Story Road, Ste. 70, San Jose, CA 95122 (408) 294-3888
6930 65th St. Ste. #105, Sacramento CA 95823 (916) 393-3388
42 Dang Thi Nhu, P. Nguyen Thai Binh, Q1, HCM (848) 3914-7638
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