International   

U.S. Army wants Hindi, Tamil speakers

New York: The U.S. Army is wooing skilled immigrants to join it, including those who know Hindi and Tamil, by offering them a chance to become citizens in as little as six months, a media report said.

For foreigners who live in the U.S. on temporary visas, it often takes more than a decade to get citizenship.

As part of the Army’s one-year pilot programme, to begin in New York City, it will recruit about 550 temporary immigrants who speak one or more of 35 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Igbo (a tongue spoken in Nigeria), Kurdish, Nepalese, Pashto, Russian and Tamil, the New York Times reported Saturday. Spanish speakers are not eligible. Immigrants, who are permanent residents holding green cards, and have lived in the U.S. for at least two years will be eligible to join, officials said.

“The American Army finds itself in a lot of different countries where cultural awareness is critical,” said Lieutenant General Benjamin C. Freakley, the top recruitment officer. “There will be some very talented folks in this group.” — IANS

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

“Prabakaran still holed up in Wanni”
Venezuela votes on presidential term limits
G7 vows to avoid protectionism
Hamas, Fatah hold unity talks
U.S. Army wants Hindi, Tamil speakers
Miss India Worldwide 2009
Sidhartha’s death stuns near and dear

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu