MAVNI Program: Direct US Citizenship without Permanent Resident Status.

MAVNI Program: Direct US Citizenship without Permanent Resident Status The Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program, a program which authorizes certain branches of the military to recruit certain legal aliens with specialized skills, was announced on February 23, 2009. While the MAVNI program was not announced until February of this year, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates authorized the Army, Navy, and Air Force to implement MAVNI on November 25, 2008. Those branches of the military are authorized to recruit certain legal aliens whose skills are considered to be vital to the national interest. Those holding critical skills – physicians, nurses, and certain experts in language with associated cultural backgrounds – would be eligible.