US Citizenship & Naturalization
There are two ways to acquire the U.S. Citizenship:
- By operation of law, such as for children born in the United States.
- By filing an application and upon satisfaction of statutory eligibility requirements. U.S. citizens have certain rights and benefits not available to green card holders.
The conditions to be met with in order to become a U.S. citizen are the following:
- Applicant must be at least 18 years old. There are two exceptions to the general rule. Persons who honorably served in the military during designated periods may naturalize regardless of age. Also minors with at least one citizen parent may be naturalized upon the application of the parent.
- You must show that you are a person of good moral character.
- You should have been permanent resident for five (5) years. However, if you acquired your permanent residency through a marriage to U.S. citizen, you may apply after three (3) years. By law a person can file a naturalization application three months early. However, five or three year's requirement must be fulfilled before the grant of citizenship.
- You were physically present in the United States for 2 ½ years of the five years, 1 ½ years of the three years.
- You must reside within the state or within the USCIS district where the application will be filed at least three months immediately preceding the filing of the application.
- Continuous residence exemption: If you are engaged in certain kinds of overseas employment you may be eligible for an exception to the continuous residence requirement. More details are available at the link below.
- While not specifically stated in the regulation, failure to comply with the Selective Service registration requirement can be a ground for denying an application for naturalization based on lack of good moral character or other basis, if the person knowingly and willfully failed to register.
- A person must take the full oath or affirmation of allegiance to the United States, without any mental reservation.
During your naturalization interview, a USCIS officer will ask you questions about your application and background. You will also take an English and civics test unless you qualify for an exemption or waiver.
English and Civics Test
The English language test has three components: reading, writing, and speaking. Under certain circumstances, you may be exempt from the English language test. However you still need to take the civic tests. Exemptions for the English Language test are as follows:
- “The 50/20 Exemption”: Age 50 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident (green card holder) in the United States for 20 years.
- “The 55/15 Exemption”: Age 55 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident in the United States for 15 years.
Exemptions for English and Civic Test:
- You may be eligible for an exception to English and civics naturalization requirements if you are unable to comply with these requirements because of a physical or developmental disability or mental impairment.
The civics test covers important U.S. history and government topics. There are 100 civics (history and government) questions. Although USCIS is aware that there may be additional correct answers to the 100 civics questions, applicants are encouraged to respond to the civics questions using the answers provided at the end of this page.
Important:
- On the naturalization test, some answers may change because of elections or appointments. As you study for the test, make sure that you know the most current answers to these questions. If you are 65 years or older and have been a legal permanent resident of the United States for 20 or more years, you may study just the questions that have been marked with an asterisk.
- Usually at the time of biometric test, you will be given a CD which has all the current questions. Study these questions and answers prior to your interview date.
FAQs for Naturalization
https://www.immigrationlawadvisor.com/naturalization_faq.php
