Three Pennsylvania men were recently convicted of fraud in connection with the citizenship process. The scheme involved paying doctors to falsify form N-648 (waiver of citizenship test due to physical or mental impairment) so that people applying for citizenship could avoid having to take the citizenship test that is usually administered at the citizenship interview. Habeeb Malik, a former doctor and owner of Foundation for Human Services, charged citizenship applicants $2000 for a referal to a doctor who would falsify the citizenship test waiver. On top of that, each doctor paid Malik a kick-back of $120 per applicant. The doctors knew that the applicants did not suffer from the disabilities or ailments that were submitted on the citizenship test waivers. The citizenship test waivers claimed that the disabilities of the citizenship applicants prevented them from learning English or civics.
If you or someone you know is thinking of applying for citizenship but will not be able to pass either the English or civics portion of the citizenship test, contact a naturalization lawyer to determine if you are eligible to submit the N-648 waiver of citizenship test requirements. A naturalization lawyer will be able to determine your eligibility for a citizenship test waiver by applying the law to the facts of your case. Simply enlisting a doctor to fill out your N-648 form could subject you or the doctor to a fraud charge.
Source: Philadelphia Daily News “3 sentenced in naturalization fraud”
