Immigrants seeking a fast-track method for becoming U.S. citizens need only heed the call from Uncle Sam. Serving in the U.S. military is now the quickest way for foreign-born residents to gain their citizenship, and more of them are taking advantage of new rules that have streamlined the process for immigrants in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines.

Today, more than 100,000 immigrants are serving in the military…8% of the entire armed forces. About 20,000 are legal residents but not citizens. That figure is declining rapidly, however, as thousands are taking advantage of waivers for application fees ($675) and waiting periods that the government approved during the Bush years. About 9,000 immigrant residents in the military have already become citizens in 2009, the highest total since 1970.
                                                                                                                                                       -Noel Brinkerhoff

Immigrants' Fast Path to Citizenship: Enlist in the Military (by Víctor Manuel Ramos, South Florida Sun Sentinel)