Naturalization is the process to become a U.S. citizen if you were born outside the United States. If you have US citizenship and citizenship of another country you have dual citizenship.  That means you will retain and keep your current citizenship, and you will also retain your U.S. citizenship. There are exceptions where sometimes dual citizenship, depending on the country, are not permitted, and there are exceptions where having more than two countries of citizenship may or may not be permitted.

Eligibility Requirements for Citizenship?

• You must be at least 18 years of age when you file your application for naturalization.
• You must have been a lawful permanent resident, that’s a green card holder, of the United States for at least five years. There is an exception to this when you are married to a U.S. citizen spouse. If you are married to a U.S. citizen spouse and you have been issued either a temporary or a ten-year green card, from the initial start date on your green card you can count two years and nine months (2 years and 9 months), and from that date, you are permitted to file for an expedited application for naturalization.

Please click on the paid audio under naturalization as we go into greater detail, including exceptions and things that will cause a denial or problem with your case. We go through the questions and answers that we see coming up repeatedly in interviews, lots of great tips

• You must have demonstrated your continuous residence in the United States for at least five years. If you are applying because you are married to a U.S. citizen, this will obviously be less than five years.
• Physical presence means your body is physically inside the United States. You have demonstrated physical presence in the United States for at least 30 months, this is less if you are married to a U.S. citizen.
• You have lived in the United States or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service District where you claim residence for at least three months before filing.
• You can demonstrate good moral character. This typically comes under whether there have been past arrests and/or convictions for your application for naturalization. Past arrests and/or convictions can cause serious implications. They can cause delays, denials, and even the revocation of your green card.
• Good moral character. The statutory definition is found under INA section 101(f) and includes habitual drunkard, prostitution, smuggling, certain aliens previously removed, inadmissibility under crimes involving moral turpitude or controlled substances, principal income from illegal gambling, imprisonment for an aggregate period of 180 days, petty offense exception. Offenses that trigger bars to naturalization and possible deportation would be murder and aggravated felony.

We would advise you not to apply for naturalization if there’s anything in your past arrests and/or convictions or anywhere where you may have lied on a form or misrepresented yourself, as it could actually mean you will lose your current green card. If you are uncertain about this, you should set up a consultation with Caro.

• You demonstrate a basic knowledge of U.S. history and government, also known as civics, as well as an ability to read, write, speak, and understand basic English. There are exceptions if you are a certain age. Certain requirements are waived under the civics and the written, reading, and speaking tests. The civics test typically requires you to get at least six questions out of ten correct to pass.
• You are willing to take an oath of allegiance to the United States, and you are well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States.

Filing your tax returns and keeping up to date with the filing of your 1040 IRS tax returns is extremely important for your application for naturalization. You must file the application for naturalization at a USCIS service center.

Exceptions to Naturalization testing:

Almost all applicants for naturalization must take a naturalization test to demonstrate that they are able to read, write, speak, and understand English, and that they have a basic knowledge of civics (U.S. history and government).

You do not have to take the English reading, writing, speaking, and understanding test, and you can take the civics test in a language of your choice if at the time you file your application:

• You are 50 years of age or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years; or
• You are age 55 years of age or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for at least 15 years.
• If you are 65 years of age or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years, you may take a simplified version of the civics test.