Becoming a Naturalized US Citizen

Naturalization is the process through which a Lawful Permanent Resident (green card holder) may obtain U.S. citizenship.

To be eligible for naturalization there are specific requirements that every permanent resident must satisfy, although the length of time the applicant has been a permanent resident may differ.

Generally speaking, an applicant must have held permanent residence for at least 5 years. However, spouses of US citizens may apply after 3 years, and applicants who served or continue to serve in the US military may apply even earlier.

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time they file their application (N-400), be of good moral character, and must not have been absent from the country for more than 6 months at any point during the previous 5 years (3 for spouses) prior to completing the naturalization process.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will look very closely to determine whether an applicant has lived primarily in the U.S. during the required period prior to completing their naturalization process, and may deny the application for not maintaining continuity of residence.

If you are a permanent resident looking to start your journey to becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States, please contact The Ram Law Firm today for a consultation with one of our highly experienced citizenship attorneys.

Children

Derivative Citizenship

Derivative citizenship is automatically granted to children who already have green cards and whose parents become naturalized U.S. citizens, or in certain circumstances, to foreign-born children adopted by United States citizen parents.

Although the process is automatic, the eligibility requirements vary depending on the law that was in place at the time of the child's birth and can therefore be highly complex, so it is advisable to seek advice from an experienced immigration attorney.

Acquisition of US Citizenship

Acquisition of citizenship applies to children born outside the U.S. to one or more U.S. citizen parents. These children did not need to enter the U.S. with a green card in order to obtain citizenship automatically since someone born outside the United States to at least one U.S. citizen parent is considered a U.S. citizen at birth, however this can vary depending on the law that was in effect at the time.

Generally speaking the law requires that at least one parent was a U.S. citizen at the time of the child's birth, and this parent must have lived in the United States for a period of time.

Additionally, children born abroad may become U.S. citizens after birth. For further guidance on the best route to US citizenship please speak with one of our experienced immigration lawyers.

Military Based Citizenship

If you have served in the United States military in either the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard or in a National Guard unit while it was federally recognized as a reserve component of the United States Armed Forces then you can apply for Military Based Citizenship.

During peacetime, foreign nationals who have served for at least one year in the U.S. military can apply for citizenship one year after receiving their green card rather than waiting the standard five years.

If you served during wartime in specific periods as designated by USCIS then you can apply for U.S. citizenship on your first day of service, including any time from September 1, 2001 until such time as the War on Terrorism is declared to be over.

The eligibility requirements include conditions that the applicant have served honorably, with good moral character, and be able to show knowledge about American history and government, among others.

To discuss the specifics of your application for naturalization on the basis of military service, please contact one of our expert military citizenship attorneys today.