How to Apply for Citizenship in the United States

In the event you’re a everlasting resident in america, the method to use for citizenship is pretty straight ahead. After confirming your eligibility, there’s a kind to file, charge to pay and a citizenship check with the interview. It could sound difficult. However as an immigrant, you’ve already overcome a lot extra.

The method of making use of for citizenship is named naturalization. It’s the most typical means that overseas nationals turn out to be U.S. residents. An estimated 8.8 million everlasting residents in america are eligible to naturalize proper now. It’s simple to stay a everlasting resident, however there are important benefits to turning into a citizen. In a extra contentious immigration surroundings, it helps insulate you from issues down the highway. There are additionally extra job alternatives, scholarships for college students, and independence from extra immigration charges.

Benefits to U.S. Citizenship

• Price Financial savings

  There’s a authorities submitting charge to use for citizenship. However when you turn out to be a citizen, there’s no have to renew your inexperienced card. The common 30-year previous will spend no less than $5,300 in inexperienced card renewal charges over a lifetime.

• Simpler Journey

  With an American passport, touring is mostly simpler. You gained’t have to attend within the lengthy traces for inexperienced card holders. Entry to a number of overseas international locations doesn’t require a visa.

• Safety from Deportation

  The U.S. authorities could put everlasting residents in elimination (deportation) proceedings for sure crimes. U.S. residents can’t be deported. In fact, you’ll be able to’t lie to be able to acquire your U.S. citizenship. This might invalidate any protections.

• Assist Household Members Immigrate

  The partner, single kids and oldsters of U.S. residents are speedy family. There’s no wait an immigrant visa. Spouses and kids of everlasting residents could have to attend for years to acquire a inexperienced card. U.S. residents can petition dad and mom and siblings whereas everlasting residents can not.

• Prolonged Stays Overseas

  Many everlasting residents put their inexperienced playing cards in danger by staying exterior america too lengthy. They threat abandonment of everlasting residence. U.S. residents could keep exterior america indefinitely.

• Tax Advantages

  U.S. residents and inexperienced card holders might be handled in a different way by tax regulation. U.S. residents could also be topic to fewer restrictions on property taxes and could also be eligible for extra tax exemptions than everlasting residents. For extra info, contact the monetary planner with an immigrant specialty.

When you have everlasting resident kids underneath the age of 18 that dwell with you, they may routinely turn out to be U.S. residents when a mother or father naturalizes. There isn’t a further charge. What’s extra, many monetary help grants for faculty can be found solely to U.S. residents.

Eligibility for Naturalization

The overwhelming majority of everlasting residents have been a inexperienced card holder for 5 years earlier than they will apply for citizenship. There are provisions within the regulation for everlasting residents who’ve been married to a U.S. citizen for 3 years in addition to U.S. service members. Nonetheless, most candidates meet the next necessities earlier than they apply for citizenship:

• At the very least 18 years previous
• Been a everlasting resident (inexperienced card holder) for no less than 5 years
• Lived inside the identical U.S. state for no less than 3 months earlier than submitting the applying
• Have steady residence within the U.S. as a everlasting resident for five years earlier than submitting the applying
• Have been bodily current within the U.S. for no less than 30 months out of the 5 years earlier than submitting the applying
• Are capable of move the English check in addition to U.S. historical past and authorities check
• Are individuals of fine ethical character

For an in depth rationalization of eligibility, go to citizenship necessities. For instance, you could not know that you could be submit the applying as much as 90 days earlier than assembly the five-year steady residence requirement.

It’s possible you’ll discover it simpler to make use of CitizenPath’s eligibility quiz in the beginning of the applying. In only a few questions, we will help you establish if you happen to’re prepared to use for citizenship.

Getting Able to Apply

When making ready the shape to use for citizenship, you’ll have to have the next gadgets:

• Everlasting Resident Card (inexperienced card)

  You’ll have to have your Alien Registration Quantity and date that you simply turn out to be a everlasting resident. Each might be discovered in your inexperienced card. In case your inexperienced card is expired, you could put together Type N-400. Nonetheless, in case your inexperienced card has been misplaced, stolen, or destroyed, you’ll have to file Type I-90 to exchange your card earlier than making use of for citizenship.

• Social Safety Quantity

  It isn’t necessary that you’ve got a Social Safety quantity. When you have one, you’ll embody it in your software.

• Journey Dates

  In the event you made any journeys exterior the U.S. through the 5 years that precede the applying, you’ll have to doc the dates of every journey (of 24 hours or extra). It may be troublesome to recollect particular journey dates. Examine bank card statements, frequent flyer data and different receipts to estimate dates to the very best of your capacity.

• Selective Service Registration Info

  U.S. regulation requires that each U.S. male between the ages of 18 and 26 register for the Selective Service. This requirement applies to residents, everlasting residents, refugees, asylees, and even undocumented aliens. It doesn’t apply to girls or any foreigners in america with non-immigrant visas (e.g. vacationers, college students, enterprise, and so on.). In the event you’ve already registered, you may get an instantaneous Official Letter of Registration at www.sss.gov. In the event you didn’t register and are nonetheless inside this age vary, you could register on the identical web site. Nonetheless, you shouldn’t apply for U.S. citizenship till age 31 in case you are over the age of 25 and didn’t register as required. In the event you apply earlier than this 5-year interval has handed, USCIS will possible deny your software on the premise of not assembly the nice ethical character requirement.

• 5 Years of Tackle Info

  You’ll have to listing your tackle(es) the place you lived for the previous 5 years (or three years when you have been married to a U.S. citizen throughout that point).

• 5 Years of Employment/Schooling Info

  You’ll have to listing your job and/or college info (group identify, tackle, time interval) for the previous 5 years (or three years when you have been married to a U.S. citizen throughout that point). Employment and schooling are usually not necessities. The data will probably be used for a background verify.

• Details about your Present and Former Spouses

  If relevant, you’ll have to listing details about your present partner and any former spouses. Info contains: identify, tackle, delivery date, marriage date, immigration standing, nation of citizenship and A-number if relevant.

• Details about your Youngsters

  If relevant, you’ll have to listing details about your little kids (even when they’re deceased or not dwelling with you). Info contains: identify, tackle, delivery date, nation of delivery and A-number if relevant.

Type to Apply for Citizenship

The USCIS kind to use for U.S. citizenship is formally referred to as Type N-400, Utility for Naturalization. It’s a 20-page kind that launches a evaluate of your whole immigration historical past. USCIS will re-analyze the way you obtained your everlasting resident standing, journey data and a legal background verify to make sure you meet the eligibility necessities. Sustaining accuracy and truthfulness is crucial. Actually, USCIS lately up to date its coverage steerage that makes it simpler for adjudicators to disclaim functions as a substitute of issuing a Request for Proof (RFE) first. It’s crucial to submit at software package deal that’s full.

For the added reassurance that you simply’re doing every thing proper, use CitizenPath’s service to use for citizenship. The attorney-designed software program is an reasonably priced strategy to put together the Type N-400 with ease and get customized submitting directions on your scenario.

Sometimes, an applicant’s Type N-400 is accompanied by:

• USCIS Charges

  Most candidates should pay $725 complete. This features a $640 submitting charge and a $85 biometrics charge. Nonetheless, candidates over 75 years of age don’t have to pay the biometrics charge. USCIS will waive all charges for candidates who apply on the premise of army service.

• Photocopy of Everlasting Resident Card

  Submit photocopies of each side of your inexperienced card. In the event you don’t have it, you’ll have to submit a duplicate of the I-797C from the inexperienced card renewal or another proof of your everlasting resident standing.

• Marriage Standing Doc

  Embody a photocopy of your present authorized marital standing doc. Examples of acceptable paperwork embody your present marriage certificates, divorce, annulment decree, or loss of life certificates of former partner.

The listing of supporting gadgets above is for the standard case. Primarily based in your solutions within the software, USCIS could require you to submit some further paperwork. Army candidates might want to submit further gadgets. Your CitizenPath submitting directions will present an in depth listing of supporting paperwork and easy methods to set up your package deal.

You gained’t have to ship issues like tax returns and passports. Nonetheless, there are a number of gadgets that each applicant ought to take to the naturalization interview. Primarily based in your case, CitizenPath submitting directions embody a listing of things to take to your naturalization interview.

Apply for Citizenship with an Expired Inexperienced Card

USCIS doesn’t encourage it, however it’s potential to use for citizenship with an expired inexperienced card. What’s vital to understand is that the naturalization course of might take a few yr. Throughout this time, you’d typically haven’t any proof of everlasting resident standing. It is a drawback if it is advisable journey overseas, take a brand new job, and even renew a driver’s license. For that reason, most individuals apply for inexperienced card renewal first.

In the event you select to resume your inexperienced card, it’s not vital to attend the 10-12 months to obtain your new card earlier than making use of for U.S. citizenship. When you obtain the I-797C, Discover of Motion (normally about two weeks after submitting), you could file the Type N-400, Utility for Naturalization. Embody a photocopy of your receipt letter (I-797C) to show that you simply’ve began the renewal course of.

About CitizenPath

CitizenPath offers easy, reasonably priced, step-by-step steerage by means of USCIS immigration functions. People, attorneys and non-profits use the service on desktop or cellular gadget to arrange immigration types precisely, avoiding expensive delays. CitizenPath permits customers to strive the service totally free and offers a 100% money-back assure that USCIS will approve the applying or petition. We offer help for the Petition to Assist a Relative Acquire a Inexperienced Card (Type I-130), Citizenship Utility (Type N-400), and several other different generally used USCIS types.

Word to Reader: This submit was initially printed on September 25, 2018, and has been modified with enhancements.