Realizing Your American Dream

You can become an American citizen either by birth or through the Naturalization process. Naturalization is commonly referred to as the procedure through which a person not born in the United States voluntarily becomes a U.S. Citizen. Immigrants who wish to get US citizenship should file the N 400 Application.

The Citizenship process :

You have to meet certain eligibility requirements before filing the N 400 application. You have to be at least 18 years or older and a permanent resident (Green Card holder). In normal circumstances, you should be a permanent resident for five years to be eligible to file the citizenship form. If you are married to a US citizen, then it is three years of permanent residency. It is that you have to be in marriage to a U.S citizen and should be living with that U.S citizen for the past 3 three years of your permanent residency for the criteria to be applicable to you.

Additionally, you must reside in the United States for a continuous period before filing the application. If you are not married to an American citizen, you should reside in the U.S. for a continuous period of five years after admission to the U.S. as a permanent resident. If you are married to a U.S. citizen, you must reside in the U.S. for a continuous period of three years following admission to the U.S. as a permanent resident.

A prolonged absence from the U.S. will break the continuity of your residence in the U.S. for naturalization purposes. It, however may not affect your ability to return to the U.S. as a permanent resident. An absence from the U.S. of less than six months will not break your continuity of residence in the U.S. for citizenship purposes. However, if you are absent from the U.S. for a period of six months or more breaks your continuity of residence. If the break is between six months and one year, the break can be excused if a reasonable explanation can be given for your absence (e.g. overseas employment). If the break is over a year, your continuity of residence can be preserved and the break excused, if steps are taken prior to the expiration of a year abroad to preserve the residence and if you meet certain qualifications.

Apart from these, you should have met your physical presence requirements too. You must be physically present in the United States for a certain number of months to be eligible to file the application for citizenship. Prior to applying, you should have resided in your current state for at least 3 months. Current state is the state where you are submitting the N 400 application.

Most importantly, you should not have broken any immigration law and you should not have been ordered to leave the US. You should also prove at least 5 years of good moral character. You should also take an English language test and a Civics test. Generally, form N 400 applicants must establish to the satisfaction of the interviewing officer that they are able to read, write and speak basic English and that they have basic knowledge of US history and government. You can be exempted if you have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, where it affects your ability to learn English and Civics. And of course, you should be prepared to take an oath of allegiance to the US.

In normal circumstances, you should be a permanent resident for five years to be eligible to file the citizenship form. You must be physically present in the United States for a certain number of months to be eligible to file the application for citizenship.