Jamiesons proud to be Americans
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But for some others, attaining American citizenship is not so easy. People who immigrate to America, and decide they want to stay, find themselves facing a long and arduous process of preparation and paperwork on the way to becoming a naturalized citizen.
And though Hispanic immigrant workers seem to be getting the lion’s share of attention, those seeking citizenship come from all walks of life and every nationality.
Many are professionals, like physician Dr. Mary Jane Jamieson and her husband Robert, an engineer, who, with their son William, hale from our nearest neighbor to the north, Canada.
The couple came here after being recruited by St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville which was in the process of setting up a regional network of physician centers.
The Jamiesons have been in the U.S. since 1998 but only recently decided to take the plunge and become full-fledged naturalized citizens.
This journey culminated when Jamiesons traveled to a courthouse in Chattanooga on May 24, accompanied by a contingent of 10 friends and supporters, to attend a ceremony to formalize their citizenship, along with a number of applicants from other countries. The ceremony was presided over by the Honorable Harry S. Mattice, Jr., U.S. District Judge.
Also on hand, and serving refreshments at an after-ceremony reception, were members from Chattanooga’s Chickamauga and Nancy Ward Chapter of the DAR, as well as Cynthia Campen and Meredith Anne Higgs, members from McMinnville’s Lt. James Sheppard Chapter of the DAR.
‘The judge was excellent,’ Mary Jane said. ‘He gave just a lovely, lovely welcoming speech. He was very accommodating. He let all the people take pictures in all combinations.’
At the ceremony, the assembled applicants gave the Oath of Allegiance as a group, then went up and received their documents individually.
But before that could happen, the family had to complete a long process, including a lot of paperwork, to attain their citizenship.
‘There’s a lot of steps in there,’ Mary Jane said. ‘It’s hard to remember what they all were.’
Dr. Jamieson said a number of factors contributed to the decision to apply, not the least of which was the right to vote.
‘As soon as we got home we went down and got our voter registration cards,’ Mary Jane said.
Since St. Thomas had recruited them, the process early on was handled by the hospital’s legal representatives.
‘There was an immigration lawyer who did all the initial paperwork,’ Mary Jane said.
Once they had their permanent residency form, the family moved on to the next step in what was to be a several-year process. First they had to get fingerprinted in Nashville, something their son William wasn’t required to do. Then it was on to Memphis to get their permanent residency card.
Oddly enough, after all this, when the couple received their citizenship they had to surrender this card, and apply for an American passport before they can travel back to Canada.
‘They take them back when you do your citizenship,’ Robert said. ‘So right now we can’t travel out of the country until we get a passport.’
‘We’ve submitted our papers though,’ Mary Jane said.
The Jamiesons say the Internet has simplified the process somewhat, but it is still far from simple.
‘It is still very bureaucratic and convoluted,’ Robert said. ‘But the people at the INS offices for the most part are very helpful. I can see why the system is set up like this, but it does seem to take a lot longer than it should.’
‘There’s a lot of cost involved,’ Mary Jane added. ‘A lot of traveling around and that, I think, can get in the way of the process for a lot of people. And yet everybody who went to that ceremony was so excited to be getting their American citizenship.’