MARION COUNTY, Fla. — After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Paul Canton lived in the U.S. for decades thinking he was a citizen.
But about two years ago, the Marion County ranch manager, who was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia, learned he wasn’t a citizen when he tried to renew his driver’s license.
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After being denied citizenship a handful of times, he finally got some good news.
The federal government issued a memo clarifying guidelines for military service members to get citizenship. One part of that memo appears to include people like Canton, who enlisted during a designated period of hostility.
READ: New Zealand-born veteran faces 3rd denial in his quest for U.S. citizenship
“As soon as I got the memo and I spoke to Mr. Canton, I asked Orlando USCIS for an immediate scheduling of an oath ceremony so that he could finally become a citizen of the country that he served,” said immigration attorney Elizabeth Ricci. USCIS is the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency.
Ricci is taking Canton’s case at no charge and has already started helping some of the deported vets.
READ: Marion County veteran denied citizenship for second time
For Canton, the problem was he enlisted during the Gulf War, but by the time he was on active duty, the designated period of hostility had ended. But in the new memo clarifying the government’s policy on those who have served, time of induction and enlistment counts.
For Canton and his family, knowing it’s possible he could be sworn in as a citizen before Christmas is something they’re thankful for.
“I think we can breathe. I mean, that’s the one thing that has changed,” Canton said. “I think we can finally start breathing again, looking around and seeing there is a future and we can start planning.”
The memo also clarifies that veterans who have been deported or live overseas are eligible for naturalization. That impacts around 300 veterans.
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