Woman Receives Naturalization Certificate After 27 Years

Jenis Martinez receives her new naturalization certificate from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services New York District Director Andrea Quarantillo. (Photos courtesy of USCIS)

NEW YORK—Stories about immigrants waiting decades to receive their prized citizenship certificates conjure images of tortured legal proceedings and tears of frustration, but this one warrants a few laughs.

On Wednesday, a Dominican grandmother finally received her papers, after a 27-year-long wait for a notification letter to arrive from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Unbeknownst to Jenis Martinez, the letter had already arrived—only it was jammed behind her mailbox, where it remained unseen for nearly three decades.

Jenis Martinez became a citizen of the United States in 1975. After having misplaced her original citizenship certificate, she applied for a new one in 1983. USCIS promptly mailed her a letter, letting her know that she could pick up her new certificate on Dec. 22, 1983. Unfortunately, she did not find that letter until earlier this year.

Martinez, a grandmother and breast cancer survivor, went to the USCIS district office on Wednesday to receive her certificate from USCIS New York District Director Andrea Quarantillo before a gathering of reporters—exactly 27 years from the date that she could have picked it up.