NATURALIZATION CITIZENSHIP ATTORNEY

U.S. Citizenship Application Requirements – How to Become A United States Citizen

You may qualify to apply for US Citizenship if:

• you have been a permanent resident for 5 years; or
• you have been a permanent resident for 3 years and have been married and lived with a United States citizen for that time period.
• you have not lived outside the United States for more than 6 months at a time during the required number of years of permanent residence leading up to your application for citizenship.
• you have spent as much time in the United States as outside of it during the required number of years of permanent residence leading up to your application for citizenship.

You may qualify for an exception to the location requirements (c and d above) if you are in the military (or a widow or widower of a person in the military); or are working oversees. This area of the law can be quite involved. We recommend you speak to one of our immigration attorneys prior to applying for US citizenship. An immigration attorney can conduct an interview to determine whether or not you should apply for naturalization. For a free analysis of your situation please contact us.

You can apply with US Citizenship and Immigration Services within 90 days before the required time (above) has passed. However, if you apply too early (before this 90 day period) your case could be disqualified and the USCIS can require you to re-submit your application. Obviously, this would delay your case.

USCIS Citizenship Requirements – Passing the Test

You will have to pass an English test (unless you meet an exception below) and a Civics Test.

US Naturalization English Test
The English test has 3 components: reading,  speaking, and writing.  The Immigration officer will determine your speaking ability during your interview.  You will be required to read one out of three sentences USCIS provides correctly.  You will also be required to write one out of three sentences correctly. (The interviewer will say a sentence out loud and you will need to write it down in front of the officer.)

You do not have to worry about the English test if: you are 50 or older at the time you file your case and have had your green card in the United States for at least 20 years (“50/20 exception”)  OR you are 55 or older at the time you file your case and have lived with your green card in the United States for at least 15 years (“55/15 exception”).   (You will still need to take the Civics test)

USA Citizenship Civics Test
You will also need to pass the Civics Test.  There are 100 possible questions you can be asked about U.S. civics.  The civics test will be administered to you orally by the Immigration Officer during your interview.  The officer will ask you up to 10 of the 100 possible civics questions. You must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test.  You should study the questions and answers so you will do well on this test.  Give the current answers to questions where answers may have changed.  Questions where answers will change include: Who is the U.S. President? Who is the governor of California? Who are California’s senators?

If  you  do not have to take the English test due to the 50/20 or 55/15 exceptions you can have the Civics test done in your native language (but only if your understanding of spoken English is not enough to conduct the interview in English).  In this case you will need to bring an interpreter with you to the interview and the interpreter must be fluent in your native language and English.

A final note regarding USA Citizenship requirements:  USCIS states that if you are 65 or older and have had your green card for at least 20 years at the time of filing your naturalization case you will be given “special consideration” regarding the civics requirement.

If you would like a copy of the 100 possible questions you can be asked simply email us at lgruner@visa4you.info

USA Citizenship Requirements – Additional Steps

• you must be at least 18 years old unless you qualify for an exception.
• you must have good moral character. (If you have any criminal history in any country it is highly recommended that you contact a competent immigration attorney before you proceed) Even without a criminal history it is a good idea to be interviewed by a competent immigration attorney concerning this area.
• you will take an Oath of Allegance to the United States

There may be exceptions to the above requirements. Therefore you should speak to an immigration attorney before you file your case.

USCIS Citizenship Requirements – Risks in applying to become United States Citizen

If you obtained your green card under false pretenses or have done something which could make you subject to removal (deportation), applying for citizenship could bring you to the attention of the USCIS. In this situation, you could not only be denied citizenship but you could lose your green card as well. You could be subject to removal (deportation). This area of the law can be quite involved. We recommend you speak to an immigration attorney prior to applying for citizenship. An immigration attorney can conduct an interview to determine whether you meet the USA Citizenship Requirements, and whether or not you should apply.

US Citizenship Requirements Cost

The Current USCIS filing fee for most people is $725.00.  This fee can be waived for certain individuals and fee waivers may be available.

Our fees for helping you gain US Citizenship are very affordable.  We can either help you through the whole process, help you with your paperwork or help you with your interview.  We offer a FREE and CONFIDENTIAL consultation to go over your case. We offer monthly payments and will work with you in any way possible.

The materials provided in this website are solely for informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. The scope is general in nature and may or may not apply to your particular situation. There may be many pitfalls and problems when you apply for naturalization. For a free analysis of your situation please contact us at 888-801-6558 or 916-760-7270.

For more information about U.S. Citizenship cases please read: “10 Things USCIS Checks at Your Citizenship Interview”

Disclaimer

You should not proceed with an immigration matter (or act on any information in this website) without obtaining competent legal advice from an qualified attorney. Transmission of the materials in this website and receipt by you in no way constitutes and attorney-client relationship.

With handle immigration cases throughout the World.  We would be happy to talk with you, free of charge, about your immigration case.  You can reach us at 916-760-7270 or 888-801-6558.  You may also email us at attorney gruner@gmail.com