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7news was there -where the media was allowed to freely tape the event. Here's how it went:..

Jules Vasquez reporting
Today at the George Price Center, hundreds of new Belizeans waited patiently for swearing-in ceremonies to start. These folks were lucky - their files were completed, and they got to wait inside while others had to queue up outside as their paperwork had to be ferried in from the city.

After about an hour, around noon, their nationality certificates were put together and they were called in, but not all their names were called today - as some of the paperwork was still in process.

But they'd have to take their oath without it - because the minister had an emergency

Jules Vasquez
"Minister, they've had to pull up the swearing in as I understand it because there is a medical emergency, so the process is a bit switched around today, am I right?"

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"Yes a little bit. My wife is in a little bit emergency with her health situation. She has been revived, but I have to rush down quickly, but I have to finish off this right now."

Jules Vasquez
"So they will do their swearing in and the they will have to sign their certificates?"

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"The certificates are already signed. What we do here is to prevent some and then the certificates have to be embossed on the seal and like that."

"The only change has been that we have had more swearing-ins in the last two weeks but this is normal what you see today and we usually do this once a month. So our officers are used to it."

"The biggest change has been that it's election time, and the political people are out."

Jules Vasquez
"The Ministry and this department has come under a lot of criticism in the past two weeks."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"A lot of it is political of course, but for me, I would say that I personally would not sign a nationality that knowingly has not fulfilled the legal requirements. so my directive to the director is we are going to help but let's make sure that our modus operandi, our work can hold up to scrutiny at any time."

"I don't know if you all know the director but, Ruth Meighan is a very tough lady and she has assured me that we can stand up to any scrutiny whenever or wherever."

Jules Vasquez
"You would agree that is it unseemly when the office is open until 11:30 at night we see political operatives going in and out of the office at that time."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo
"I don't know where those political operatives that they showed on TV with manila envelopes were. I do know that in Belmopan is where we do all the work, and if they were working late it's because of the increased number of applications and the increased numbers of swearing that we be having so that everything is done properly."

"A lot of that work at night is to fix up the nationality certificates and put the seal and then send it to the Minister. I have to sign each one plus the two copies, so its not like you can get this across the counter, and I have insisted that we do it here, every swearing in, so that it is legal."

Jules Vasquez
"How many have you signed within the past two weeks?"

Hon. Carlos Perdomo
"Every month we do over 100 - 200 people. Every month when it's regular. But at each swearing in so far we are so far to 200 each time."

Jules Vasquez
"But is it the job of the immigration department to facilitate politicians who want to naturalize citizens so that they can register them."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo
"I would turn that around and say it is our job to facilitate people who come to us for consideration to become citizens."

So, in the early afternoon everyone crowded into the room at the George Price Center. There were 238 seats - and every single one was full, forcing the new citizens to crowd the back of the long hall - with about ten still spilling out of the room. Everyone had to get in, after all, this is the last naturalization ceremony before registration closes.

Now, if you want to stoke your nationalist sentiments or be inspired about Belizean patriotism, a naturalization ceremony is not the thing to attend. Most of the new Belizeans do not know the anthem - or do not know English well enough to sing it. Some try mouthing it, but in the end most just give up - and listen.

Next was the all-important oath

Ruth Meighan, Director Of Immigration
"Note that today only in swearing allegiance that you become a Belizean."

A pivotal moment, but again less than inspiring. Again, most didn't know enough English to follow court commissioner Patrick Bernard as he read the oath - all we heard was a low murmur. Indeed, some did faithfully say it, but at the back of the room - which you don't see form this angle - it was almost a complete disconnect.

Not quite a celebratory mood, but typical of such an event:

Hon. Carlos Perdomo
"Sometimes I feel like I am in church. Today is a very happy day, so I want to see big smiles, and I want you to greet each other, and I want you to feel happy about today, and I want to see your smile."

And while Perdomo tried to liven and loosen up things - he also gave them a little civics lesson

Hon. Carlos Perdomo
"Countries where you come from might have religious freedom. Countries you might have come from might have the military running it. Countries you are from you might not be able to trust the army or the police, so you choose Belize for a special reason, and it's not just for the passport. You chose Belize because you see something different here."

And while it was un-inspiring - as were other such ceremonies we've witnessed before - while the spirit of the room may not have projected it, speaking to these folks, they are happy to be Belizeans:

Jules Vasquez
"How does this moment feel for you? You are a Belizean."

Walter Robles, Resident in Belize For 8 Years - Peru
"I am really happy. I am going to enjoy now being a Belizean."

Marcos Rolando Segura, Resident in Belize 10 Years - Guatemala
"I feel good because the truth is I want betterment for my children because I have children who were born in Belize."

Francisco Cuc, Resident in Belize For 31 Years - Guatemala
"We came here just by jumping the border. But the bad part is that if we go to Guatemala again there is no land for us to stay, and I will say thanks to the whole country of Belize. I hope we cooperate with the people that were actually born here. I hope we get together, and hand in hand we will move forward."

Official figures on this month's naturalizations have still not been tallied - but we estimate it at 1,100. In 2008, the PUP are reported to have naturalized between 1,300 and 1,600 new citizens in the run up to the election. One party with clean hands on this is the PNP, the People's National Party out of Toledo, which has called for a change in the law which would not allow newly created citizens to vote until they have been citizens for a year.