Utica, NY (WIBX) - This morning, 45 individuals who call New York State home, became naturalized American citizens. The ceremony at the U.S. District Court Building in Utica, welcomed the new Americans, who represent 27 nations from around the world.

The ceremony included a performance by The Barbershop Belles, and a keynote address from John Orilio, Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Utica. Some of the new citizens arrived in the area as refugees from war-torn countries, others came as new immigrants, and some moved to the states as students. Officials say the inductees had to undergo rigorous testing before becoming eligible for American citizenship.

The new citizens came from the following countries: Somalia, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Iraq, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil Kosovo, Burma, Canada, Dominican Republic, Bosnia-Herzgovina, India, Burma, Nigeria, Cambodia, Egypt, Czech Republic, United Kingdom,People's Republic of China, Germany, Philippines, Tanzania, Belarus, Laos, Ukraine and Vietnam.

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