Immigration Nation is a fun and interactive online game
which teaches students about the paths to American naturalization and
citizenship. Students are presented with immigrants hoping to enter the
country and asked to determine whether or not to provide them access. If the
request is granted, the student sends the immigrant to the appropriate harbor
based on their statement. The objective of the game is to help show students
the range of allowable circumstances for legal residence and the requirements for naturalization and full
citizenship.
Learning Objectives


Identify legal means of becoming a United States citizen
Explain how requirements to obtain citizenship are not the same for all applicants (e.g., guest
workers, spouses of citizens)
Prerequisites
None needed! Immigration Nation is designed for students to apply critical thinking skills to scenarios
while learning about the various paths immigrants take when they enter the United States. The last page
of this guide has pre and post game questions you can discuss with your class. You can our unit on
Citizenship & Participation along with all of our other lesson plans at www.iCivics.org/teachers.
Here’s how to access the game, Immigration Nation:
You can also open the game in a new window by
clicking on the message in the top left part of the
game screen.
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
On the first screen, you will see a harbor, the Liberty Belle character, the Statue of Liberty and two
boats. Each boat represents a different hopeful immigrant.
❶ Selecting a boat will bring up the immigrant’s
statement about why he or she wants to come
into the country. Not all immigrants should be
permitted entry, so read carefully.
❷ Once you decide to allow the immigrant entry,
you must direct them to the appropriate harbor.
This can be done in one of two ways. You can
make your selection directly below the
immigrant’s quote and confirm. You can also
click on the actual harbor area and confirm.
❹ If you select the correct harbor, the Statue of
Liberty will give a positive response with
additional detail. If an incorrect harbor has
been selected, the Statue of Liberty will give a
corrective response and explain why the choice
was incorrect. A score sheet will appear at the
end of each of six rounds.
5 Once the game is
completed, results may
be printed. The
feedback breaks down
the correct/incorrect
answers by harbor. This
allows you to see if
there are certain
harbors and immigration
concepts that cause
confusion.
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.
You can use these questions to lead into playing Immigration Nation in the classroom.

What does it mean if someone is an immigrant or immigrates?


Why might someone leave one country for another?


Immigrant: someone who leaves one country to settle permanently in another
Immigrate: the act of leaving one country for another for permanent settlement
Answers may vary but may include: leave a bad situation, find better opportunities,
marriage to someone from another nation, work, etc.
What kind of rules might a country have about who comes in and goes out of their borders?

Answers will vary.
Use these questions as a way to debrief the individual experiences of playing Immigration Nation.

What helped you decide whether or not to let someone become a citizen?

What did the different harbors represent? Can you name them?

The different paths to citizenship in the United States

Born in the United States, Parents are American Citizens, Marriage to a Citizen, Permission
to Work, and Refugee Status

Where there any immigrant stories you thought were particularly challenging?

Why do we have rules about citizenship?

Visit a variety of websites, videos and resources on the iCivics webquest, Immigration. You can
find it at http://www.icivics.org/web-quests/immigration.

Invite recent immigrants from your community to share their experiences with your class.

Find out about an upcoming naturalization ceremony in your area. It can make for a great field
trip!
This work is licensed for your use by iCivics, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the study of American civics. You may
copy, modify, and share these materials freely for non-commercial purposes. Visit www.iCivics.org for more free teaching resources.