Skater May Be on Fast Track

Ice dancer Tanith Belbin’s chances of gaining U.S. citizenship in time to represent her new country at the Turin Olympics were boosted late Wednesday, when the U.S. Senate passed an immigration-related amendment to a spending bill that would shorten the naturalization process for immigrants of “extraordinary ability.”

“It’s just the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for,” Belbin told the Associated Press.

Belbin, a native of Canada, has been living and training in the Detroit area since 1998. She began the naturalization process in 2000 and got her green card in 2002. Because of the usual five-year waiting period, she wasn’t expected to become a U.S. citizen until 2007.

However, changes in the law were made in 2002 to allow individuals to file an immigrant worker application and green card application at the same time, reducing the wait for citizenship to about 5 1/2 years.

Citing that, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) proposed an amendment that would reduce the residency requirement from five years to three between receipt of a green card and eligibility for naturalization for those who began their naturalization process before July 2002.

The amendment was approved by the House and Senate and now awaits the signature of President Bush. It would affect about 100 people.

“Tanith Belbin began her naturalization process in 2000, but due to changes that were made to the law in 2002, the process has taken significantly longer than it would have if she had filed her paperwork two years later,” Levin said Thursday in a statement issued by his office.

“I’m pleased that Congress approved this common-sense fix that will enable her to complete the citizenship process in time to represent the U.S. in the 2006 Olympics.”

Belbin and partner Ben Agosto have represented the U.S. at the world championships -- where they finished second earlier this year and distinguished themselves as potential Olympic medalists -- and at International Skating Union Grand Prix events.

Belbin’s lack of U.S. citizenship prevented them from competing at the Salt Lake City Games, despite their runner-up finish at the U.S. championships.

No U.S. ice dancers have won an Olympic medal since 1976.

Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said the amendment was “a matter of fairness, not just to Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, but to an entire group of individuals who, as naturalized citizens, will make important contributions to our country.”

The amendment would also affect ice dancer Maxim Zavozin, a native of Russia who teams with Morgan Matthews and trains in Ashburn, Va.

The U.S. Olympic Committee recently extended the date by which eligible skaters must have a U.S. passport to Jan. 28, 2006. The U.S. team for the Turin Games will be selected at the U.S. championships, Jan. 9-15 in St. Louis.