Thousands of German and Italian Jewish refugees who have initiated naturalization proceedings will become American citizens at least ninety days later than they hoped to, as a result of an automatic delay following President Roosevelt’s declaration that German and Italian nationals are to be regarded as aliens. The delay is provided for in the 1940 Nationality Act and is intended to give the Commissioner of Immigration time to study individual cases.
The law does not apply to those who declared their intention of becoming citizens at least two years prior to the declaration of war. Similarly, an alien married to an American may be naturalized without complying with the two year advance declaration clause, provided his case was begun before the war.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
