The melting pot is still simmering.

If one were to put a face on the average immigrant in the East Suburbs today, he or she would most likely be between the ages 35 and 44 and have a professional/technical job or no job, based on the naturalization profile for the metropolitan Pittsburgh area provided by the federal Department of Homeland Security.

More immigrants come to the East Suburbs from India, Bosnia-Herzegovina and China than any other countries, though combined they represent only one-third of the approximately 1,000 area citizens who were naturalized in 2005.

Once an immigrant is granted legal permanent status, they can generally remain in the United States for life without becoming citizens, says Shawn Saucier, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman.

After five years, legal permanent residents are eligible to apply for citizenship, Saucier says. Those married to U.S. citizens are eligible in three years and immigrants on active duty with the U.S. military can apply immediately.

"When you raise your hand to become a U.S. citizen, you're giving up your citizenship to the country from which you came" Saucier says. "It's not something people should take lightly."

Citizenship has its benefits, from obtaining educational grants and loans and welfare to applying for government jobs and holding elective office. Each immigrant adds a little seasoning to the pot. And each has a story to tell.

Loan Hutton

Vietnam

A few days before South Vietnam fell to communist North Vietnam in 1975, Loan Hutton and her family were forced to flee their homeland for America. Because her father worked for the U.S. Embassy there, the family's safety was in danger. So Hutton, her parents and three siblings boarded a plane, given priority because of her father's job.

They left behind three of her brothers because, at age 16 or older, they were not permitted to leave because of the war and the country's military needs. The family ended up in Pittsburgh. After attending Virginia Commonwealth University, Hutton took a job in California with Macy's as a visual merchandising director.

The Churchill resident didn't apply for citizenship until 1988.

"I think it was a sense of hanging on to my identity," she says.

But when she had problems getting a visa to go to London, Hutton decided to become an American. She had developed an interest in voting as well. "It was time for me to put my two cents in," Hutton says.

The naturalization process took six months. She and her husband, Jerry, have two daughters, Chloe, 15, and Audrey, 10.

"People complain about this country but it provides so many opportunities," Hutton says. "My kids would never know that things are really different other places."

Theo van de Venne

Holland

One of the responsibilities of a U.S. citizen is to participate in the democratic process, something Murrysville Councilman Theo van de Venne decided to do once he retired.

"I've always been somewhat interested in government," says van de Venne, a native of the Netherlands who also has served on Murrysville's planning commission and Streetscape committee.

He came from Holland about 40 years ago, first to work for Boeing in Seattle as an engineer, then settling in Murrysville once he came to work at Westinghouse Energy Center in Monroeville. He has been an American citizen for 25 years.

He and his wife, Pia, became parents to three boys.

"I really felt if our kids were born here, we'd live here permanently," he says.

At the time van de Venne emigrated, all Dutch citizens were required by law to vote.

He carried that voting tradition with him to the United States.

"It made sense to at least vote. Voting is a right, but it's also an obligation."

Som Sharma

India

America has given Som Sharma of Monroeville the chance to help the world. For many years, he and his wife, Vandana, have supported an orphanage in his hometown in northern India. Through Monroeville Rotary and as district chairman of the service club's World Community Service, he has brought aid and relief efforts to his homeland and elsewhere.

"God had given me the opportunity to make some money here," Sharma says, explaining his desire to support India's socioeconomic needs. Sharma came to the United States on a student visa in 1972 with his wife and daughter so he could study for an MBA.

After school, Sharma was hired by an insurance company, which sponsored him to become a permanent resident. In 1980, he started his own business -- a financial and business consulting firm now in Monroeville. In addition to Rotary, Sharma is treasurer of Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium and was one of the initial founders of Hindu Jain Temple in Monroeville.

Sharma became a U.S. citizen in 1992, but today, as is his right, he expresses mixed feelings about his country.

"Unfortunately, America is not the same America I came to 35 years ago. We still have the power to influence and make a lot of things happen in the world."

America has squandered away a lot of goodwill around the world, Sharma says.

"The leadership does not truly represent the wishes of the people. If you want to democratize the world, then back it up by example."

Margaret Davies

Wales

Margaret Davies of Churchill and her husband, Kenneth, came to America from Wales on a luxury liner in 1962.

"We were seasick, as were most," Margaret recalls. "What it must have been like for the early immigrants -- I can't imagine."

Like many immigrants at the time who came to work for large corporations, Kenneth Davies had been hired by Westinghouse Research and Development Center in Churchill. Because of the security-sensitive nature of his work, the company required him to become a U.S. citizen during the Reagan era.

But Margaret, who had strong ties to Great Britain, held out. "To suddenly not be British anymore -- it was a really big thing." The Davies' children had dual citizenship because they had been born in America and also registered with the British consul.

After three decades here, Margaret finally decided to pursue becoming an American. Not being able to vote and have a say in the direction of the country helped sway her.

She was sworn in as an American in 1996.

Margaret always felt she and her husband had a lot to offer America. She was active in school and Scout activities. She's also been involved in Symphony East, which supports the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the International Women's Club, which helps members settle into their new culture here.

Florence Biscaras

France

"They're taking all your blood."

Florence Biscaras' mother was concerned as a doctor at the U.S. Embassy drew vials to check her daughter's blood for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Biscaras was also screened for tuberculosis as she prepared to become a new bride and a permanent resident of the United States in 1994.

All she knew was that France did not require as many tests for foreigners who planned to marry French citizens.

Biscaras, who had worked as an au pair on Long Island after quitting law school, met her future husband, Michael Colaianne, when he was studying in France. After teaching in South Carolina for a year and returning to work in Europe, she and Colaianne decided to marry.

Although she wanted a French wedding, the couple had to marry here to avoid legal complications with Biscaras coming to permanently live in America. A Forest Hills resident, Biscaras decided to apply for citizenship in 2006.

More than her interest in history, government and politics, her decision to become a citizen came with motherhood. Her sons, Alexandre, 9, and Benjamin, 4, are bilingual and have dual citizenship.

"Alexandre, asked me why couldn't we all be the same -- French and American."

For Colaianne to become a French citizen, he would have to renounce his American citizenship. However, France permits dual citizenship for Biscaras. She found America different than what her father and grandfather envisioned, based on France's World War II experiences.

"The new generations do not keep up the image of the old ones," she says. "I think they take being American for granted." Before becoming a citizen, Biscaras had a conversation with her late father-in-law, Vince Colaianne, about why she didn't put her hand over her heart during the Pledge of Allegiance.

"I think being American is more than saluting the flag. Embracing the culture, respecting the American laws, that's being an American."