There are three ways to become a U.S. citizen:

• By birth in the U.S. – Under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution individuals born in the United States are citizens regardless of the immigration status of their parents, who may be U.S. citizens, green card holders, or citizens of any other country.
• By acquisition at birth – A child born outside the U.S. may acquire U.S. citizenship at birth if one or both parents are United States Citizens.
• Through naturalization of parents – A child born outside the U.S. may become a citizen if their parents naturalize. Children under 18 years living in the U.S. as permanent residents become U.S. citizens when their parent/s naturalize, if they live with their parents.

Category: Citizenship

Citizenship Time Requirements: The law says that, to file a naturalization application, you must:

1. Be a Lawful Permanent Resident (green card holder),
2. Be 18 or older,
3. Stay in the US without leaving for 5 years after becoming a permanent resident. If married to United States Citizen the “residency requirement”, how long you have to live in the US without leaving, is only 3 years but there are several conditions (such as: the husband and wife must have been married for at least 3 years, no legal separation etc.).
4. Have “good moral character” – a term that means you don’t have crimes or habits that would make you seem like a bad person to the normal person in your area.
5. Have lived in the state where the petition is filed for at least 3 months.
6. Be physically present in the U.S. for at least one half of the 5 years (2 and 1/2 years), or one half of the 3 years (1 and 1/12) if your spouse is a United States Citizen, since you became a permanent resident.
7. Not be absent from the U.S. for an unbroken period of more than 1 year during the time of the “residency requirement”. Staying outside the US for more than 6 months but less than 1 year makes the government assume that you violated the “residency requirement”, but you can argue against that. If you have left the US for more than 1 year, you may reapply 4 years and 1 day following the date of your return to the U.S. A Spouse of United States Citizen needs only 2 years and 1 day.
8. Know English and be able to answer basic questions on U.S. history and government. There are separate rules for members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Category: Citizenship

Citizenship processing times vary widely depending upon location. It usually can take that long to receive the fingerprint notice, but it is generally a good idea to ask the office where you filed for citizenship to check on your case.

Category: Citizenship

A permanent resident (someone who has their green card) who is married to a citizen can apply for citizenship after 3 years. Most permanent residents have to wait 5 years, but the 3-year rule is a benefit for spouses of U.S. citizens.

Category: Citizenship

Individuals with pending naturalization cases must make address changes through the National Customer Service Center toll-free number (1.800.375.5283). You must also file Form AR-11 with USCIS.

Category: Citizenship

The child is born as a U.S. citizen and remains a U.S. citizen even if he obtains a foreign passport. If the foreign government also considers him to be their citizen, then he may have to choose at the age of 18. When that U.S. citizen child turns 21, he would be eligible to apply for the parents' green cards. Only an “affirmative act”, such as giving up the U.S. citizenship would cause the child's status as citizen to end. Such an affirmative act of renouncement would be if he, upon becoming an adult, went to the U.S. Embassy and declared a desire to give up the citizenship.

Category: Citizenship

Your minor child may automatically become a citizen when you are sworn in as a citizen. Under old laws, the child would become a citizen when both parents naturalize. However, the law was changed as of February 2001 and a minor (less than 18 year-old), permanent resident child who resides with his parent/s becomes a USC when one parent naturalizes. To apply for citizenship in his own right, based on being here for 5 years as an LPR, he has to be at least 18 years old. In order to know what your options are and to obtain specific advice based on the facts of your case, you would need to ask a lawyer.

Category: Citizenship

If you have been a permanent resident or green card holder and have been honorably serving, or have honorably served, in the U.S. Military for 1 year or longer, you may be able to apply for U.S. citizenship. Also, you may not need to do some of the other things normally needed for citizenship. If you fought for the U.S. during a period of active hostilities, you may be able to file for citizenship directly without even having been a permanent resident of the U.S.! you should talk about these issues with an immigration lawyer if you believe that you fall into one of these categories and could be eligible for expedited citizenship processing.

Category: Citizenship

Under current law, there is no limit on where a U.S. citizen may live. You cannot lose citizenship by living in another country.

Category: Citizenship

You can do that in the process of filing for citizenship. The application form asks whether you would like to change your name. If you have already submitted the older version of the form, then you can tell the USCIS officer who interviews you that you would like to change your name.

Category: Citizenship