State adds naturalization events due to number of applicants

BUTTE, Mont. (AP) — Montana has more U.S. citizens on the streets after the state added two extra naturalization ceremonies due to a large number of citizenship applications.

The Montana Standard reports (http://bit.ly/2k3BT1f ) that Montana typically has 12 naturalization ceremonies a year, but due to a spike in applications officials added a Butte ceremony on Tuesday and a Missoula ceremony last week.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer Randy Pebbles says his office has received a larger number of applications lately, leading to the extra ceremonies.

Tuesday’s ceremony naturalized 14 citizens from China, Cuba, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Germany, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, Russia, New Zealand and the Philippines.

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Information from: The Montana Standard, http://www.mtstandard.com