Complete Guide to N-648

People who have a disability and who are looking to gain citizenship from the United States of America have an option to apply for a waiver that exempts specific individuals from going through the same process of obtaining citizenship as other healthy and sound individuals. That is, if an applicant has any medically diagnosable disability, they can file form N-648 in light of their disability. 

What Is the Disability Waiver or Form N-648?

Form N–648 is a medical certificate to claim disability exemptions for the process of naturalization in the United States. The applicants who file form N–648 do not need to prove that they can read/write in English or understand it.

They can also claim exemption from taking the normally mandatory test on U.S. history and civics. It is given in stages depending on the applicant’s disability. That is, someone might only be exempt from the English requirements while others might get to take the test in their primary language or skip it altogether.

Am I Eligible for Form N-648?

Any person with any disability can qualify to file form N-648. However, three basic requirements are needed in order to be eligible:

• The person has a physical and/or developmental disability or impairment.
• The condition of disability is either diagnosed to be permanent or has lasted for the past 12 months or is expected to last for the next 12 months.
• The impairment/disability makes it difficult for the person to learn English or U.S. history and civics.

Who Is Not Eligible to File Form N-648?

Applicants that have a disability but can still learn English and civics should not submit form N-648. As long as the applicant can still attempt to meet their requirements of learning English and passing the U.S. history and civics test, it is advised that they not submit form N-648. Typically, illiteracy and old age are not grounds to obtain an exemption.

How to Complete Form N-648

Completing form N-648 involves several steps:

• Either type or write in black ink and fill out everything on the form.
• Answer all questions fully and accurately to the best of your knowledge. And do not leave any field blank. If any question does not apply to you, either type/write “NA.”
• Form N-648 is typically completed by a medical professional. They are required to explain your disability in as simple terms as possible and submit the form on your behalf. A medical professional will do the following items to complete your form N-648.
• Identify and describe any and every diagnosis the applicant may have.
• Explain how they, as a medical professional, reached their conclusions regarding the diagnosis of the anatomical, physiological, or psychological impairment, including citing any medically acceptable clinical and laboratory tests.
• Specifically describe the severity of each medical disability and how it affects the applicant’s ability to function in daily life and their ability to learn ordinary English and/or U.S. history and civics.
• Finally, if an interpreter is used to fill out the form, all contact details of the interpreter must be included in the form when asked.

Where to File Form N-648

Form N-648 should be mailed to the local United States Citizenship and Immigration office, where you have already submitted your form N-400, or it can be mailed along with it.

Fees for Form N-648

The filing fee for form N-648 is completely free at the United States Citizenship and Immigration office. However, the applicant does have to bear the costs of postage fees and the medical professional’s attestation charges, if any, or any other costs that may arise in association with the filing of the form.

Read More

• How Do I Speak to a Live Person at USCIS?
• How Many Citizenships Can You Have?
• How Do I Know Which USCIS Service Center?
• How Do I Know If USCIS Received My Application?
• What “Country of Residence” and How to Know Yours When on a Visa
• How to Check Dropbox Eligibility with the App

Conclusion

Form N-648 is a disability waiver useful for people applying for their naturalization process in the United States of America. Based on their disability, they can claim waivers on learning common English and/or preparing for the U.S. history and civics exam. However, only a medical professional can attest to the form and fill out all the relevant details regarding the disability of the applicant.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

See author's posts