AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP • NATURALIZATION LAWYER
As an immigration lawyer, I encourage legal residents (green card holders) to seriously consider becoming American citizens if they plan on living in the U.S. indefinitely or for a significant period of time. The process of becoming a U.S. citizen is called naturalization. One of the best parts of being a Hartford immigration lawyer is helping legal residents (green card holders) complete the steps necessary to become an American citizen.
To become a U.S. citizen, you will have to file an application (N-400) with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), undergo a background check, pass an English test and a U.S. history and civics test (exceptions may apply for older and disabled applicants), and be interviewed by a U.S. immigration officer.
When you apply to become an American citizen, the immigration services will examine your entire immigration history, including how you became a legal resident.
The Serrano Law Firm will help you properly prepare your N-400 application, assemble the documents you need to support your application, prepare you for your tests and interview, and help you to overcome issues that might prevent you from becoming a U.S. citizen.
Once your application to be a U.S. citizen is approved, you will be given an appointment for a ceremony before a federal judge at which you will take the oath of allegiance to the United States. Ceremonies take place in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport. At the ceremony, you will be given a Certificate of Naturalization as proof of your American citizenship.
Abogado de Inmigración
ADVOGADO DE IMIGRAÇÃO
Abogado y personal hablan Español.
Advogado e pessoal falam Português.
Ayudamos a los inmigrantes que son residentes legales (tienen la tarjeta verde) aplicar para ser ciudadanos estadounidenses.
Para llegar a ser un ciudadano, usted debe haber vivido en los EE.UU. durante un cierto número de años (5 por lo general pero 3 si obtuvo su tarjeta verde al casarse con un ciudadano de los Estados Unidos).
Hay otros requisitos, incluyendo pasar una prueba de Inglés, pasar un examen sobre la historia de Estados Unidos y el gobierno (se pueden aplicar excepciones para solicitantes mayores y discapacitados), y ser de buen carácter moral. Llámenos para ayudarle ser ciudadano estadounidense.
REQUIREMENTS FOR NATURALIZATION (BECOMING A U.S. CITIZEN)
When you apply to become an American citizen, the immigration services will examine your entire immigration history, including how you became a legal resident (got your green card), and will also check your criminal history, including arrests. The Serrano Law Firm will help you understand and deal with the issues that might prevent you from becoming a U.S. citizen.
To become a U.S. citizen, you will have to file an application (N-400) with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the Department of Homeland Protection. You will, undergo a background check, take an English test, and take a U.S. history and civics test (exceptions may apply for older and disabled applicants). You will also be interviewed by a U.S. immigration officer, who will see if you speak English well enough to be a citizen.
The Serrano Law Firm will prepare you for your tests and interview. We will properly prepare your N-400 application and collect the documents you need to support your application.
Once your application to be a U.S. citizen is approved, you will be given an appointment for a ceremony before a federal judge for you to take the oath of allegiance to the United States. Citizenship ceremonies take place in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport. At the ceremony, you will be given a Certificate of Naturalization as proof of your American citizenship, an important document which you should carefully store.
To apply to become a U.S. citizen, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You must be a legal permanent resident (green card holder) for 5 years or, if you became a legal resident through marriage to a U.S. citizen, for 3 years. (Being out of the U.S. continuously for 6 months or more may stop you from being considered a resident.)
- If you honorably served in the U.S. military for at least one year you can apply for citizenship as soon as you get your green card, but you must apply within 6 months of your discharge.
- If you honorably served on active duty in the U.S. military during wartime, you can apply to become a U.S. citizen without first being a legal resident (green card holder), but you must obtain an honorable discharge to hold onto your citizenship.
- If you entered the U.S. as a refugee, your years in the U.S. will count toward the 5 year requirement once you become a permanent resident (green card holder).
- If you were granted asylum in the U.S., a maximum of 1 year in the U.S. will count toward the 5 year requirement once you become a permanent resident (green card holder).
- You must have been physically present in the U.S. for 2 1/2 years of the 5 years of required residence, or 1 1/2 years of the 3 years of required residence for green card holders through marriage to a U.S. citizen.
- You must have lived in the state in which you are applying for citizenship for the last 3 months.
- You must have not taken a trip out of the U.S. that lasted one year or more. Trips out of the U.S. for more than 6 months must be explained. The issue is whether you intended to reside in another country.
- If you are a male who lived in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 26, you must have registered with the U.S. Selective Service.
- This requirement does not apply if all your time in the U.S. between age 18 and 26 was with a non-immigrant visa (e.g., tourist, student) that did not expire while you were here.
- You may be excused from this requirement by submitting a Status Information Letter from the Selective Service System and sworn declarations by yourself and others that you did not know you were required to register with the Selective Service.
- You must show good moral character for the last 5 years before you filed your American citizenship application.
- USCIS can take into account conduct which occurred more than 5 years ago.
- Crimes involving what USCIS considers moral turpitude will disqualify you. It is often necessary to look at the criminal statute involved and the type of punishment given for the crime to determine if it is one of moral turpitude.
- USCIS will likely find that habitual drunkenness, excessive gambling, drug abuse, smuggling, prostitution or failure to support children shows a lack of good moral character.
- You must pass an English language test or be excused from taking the test. The test involves reading and writing simple sentences. The immigration officer will also see how well you speak and understand English. You do not need to take the English test if when you filed your U.S. citizenship application you were:
- at least age 50 and lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident (green card holder) for periods totaling 20 years.
- at least age 55 and lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident (green card holder) for periods totaling 15 years.
- at least age 65 and lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident (green card holder) for periods totaling 20 years.
- suffering from a medical condition, verified by a doctor, that prevents you from being able to take the test.
- You must pass a test that shows you have a basic understanding of U.S. history and the American political system (unless you have a medical condition that prevents you from being able to take the test). You may take the test in your own language if when you filed your U.S. citizenship application you were:
- at least age 50 and lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident (green card holder) for periods totaling 20 years.
- at least age 55 and lived in the U.S. as a permanent resident (green card holder) for periods totaling 15 years.
- You must agree to assist the U.S. in time of need by taking up arms or performing work to help the military or civilian federal government.
USCIS REVIEWS YOUR IMMIGRATION HISTORY WHEN YOU APPLY TO BE A U.S. CITIZEN
When you apply to become an American citizen, the US immigration service will closely review your entire immigration history, including how you became a legal resident (obtained your green card). This is particularly true if you became a legal resident through marriage. If you divorced after getting your green card, USCIS will take another look at whether your marriage was legitimate and will want to know what caused the divorce. If after becoming a legal resident you remained married but lived separately from your spouse or you had a child with someone other than your spouse, the U.S. immigration service will question your about these circumstances. Having an experienced immigration lawyer help you with your naturalization application can help you anticipate issues that may come up and prepare you to respond to those issues.
WHY BECOME A U.S. CITIZEN
- Bring family members faster to the U.S.
- Pass American citizenship to your children.
- Be protected from deportation.
- Live or stay longer outside the U.S.
- Vote and hold political office.
- Apply for federal and state assistance.
- Qualify to file a Fiancee Visa application.
- Travel with a U.S. Passport
YOU MIGHT ALREADY BE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN
Even if you were born outside the U.S., you might have become a U.S. citizen if the following is true:
- You were born after Dec. 24, 1952, and:
- Both parents were U.S. citizens when you were born, and,
- One parent had resided in the U.S. at some time before you were born.
- You were born between Dec. 24, 1952, and Nov. 14, 1986, and when you were born:
- One parent was a U.S. citizen, and,
- That parent had been physically in the U.S. for 10 years, including 5 years after age 14.
- You were born between on or after Nov. 14, 1986, and when you were born:
- One parent was a U.S. citizen, and,
- That parent had been physically in the U.S. for 5 years, including 2 years after age 14.
- You are under 18 or were not yet born on Feb. 27, 2001, and:
- One parent is a U.S. citizen,
- Your U.S. citizen parent has legal and physical custody of you, and,
- You were lawfully admitted into the U.S. for permanent residence.
- You were in the U.S. as a legal resident (green card holder) and:
- Both your parents became U.S. citizens before you were 18, or,
- One parent died and the surviving parent became a U.S. citizen before you were 18, or
- Your parents separated and the parent with your legal and physical custody became a U.S. citizen before you were 18, or,
- You were born out of wedlock, paternity has not been legally established, and your mother became a U.S. citizen before you were 18.
Note: Certain rules apply if your parents were not married at the time of your birth and you are looking to establish citizenship through your father.
Our West Hartford Immigration Law Office serves clients throughout Connecticut including
Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury, Danbury, New Britain, Meriden, Bristol, Manchester, Middletown and Norwich
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