In Minnesota, nearly half a million people, or one in 12, are foreign-born. And that number is growing every year, as people come to our state in search of a better life.

And for those who settle here, becoming a citizen of the United States is no easy task. To even qualify, most immigrants have to first be a permanent resident for at least 5 years. After that, comes filling out complicated forms, learning a new language, and taking classes... and one of the final steps, the citizenship test. Right now the federal government is piloting some big changes to the test. U.S. authorities say the test was due for an update after 15 years. But there are worries the changes could hurt test takers of lower levels of English proficiency.

To explain possible changes and their impacts, Mya Shaftel, an English as a second language and citizenship class teacher with Literacy Minnesota, spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.