Becoming a naturalized citizen of the United States is a multi-step process. Individuals who are currently living in the U.S. and wish to obtain citizenship must meet certain eligibility requirements. The application procedure itself is overseen by the Dept. of Homeland Security and, specifically, by its sub-department, the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services. If you are seeking U.S. citizenship, the following guidelines will help you begin the steps of the naturalization process.
Do You Qualify For Citizenship?
Generally, legal non-citizen residents of the United States who have lived here for at least five years, with a valid green card for this entire period, are eligible to apply for citizenship. With few exceptions, you must have been physically present in the United States for at least 30 months of the five years immediately prior to filing an application.
If you are a resident alien and are married, you must have lived in the United States for at least three years immediately prior to filing for citizenship. Foreign residents who have served in the United States military may be eligible for immediate naturalization. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of applying for citizenship, and with few exceptions, must have a clean legal record with no outstanding warrants.
The Naturalization Test
This is the hardest part of the application process. Before being granted naturalization status, you must be able to pass a test that consists of questions concerning your current residency status as well as a long section that determines your knowledge of the English language. There is also a section dealing with civic knowledge and general customs recognized as legal in the United States. You are required to have an understanding of how the federal government operates, how the legal decisions in this country are determined and interpreted at the federal, state, and local levels, and how the monetary system works.
You will be able to pass this knowledge test much more easily if you complete an in-home practice test available from the federal government. It can be downloaded from the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website. This practice test contains a reading, writing, and speaking section to determine knowledge of the English language. It also contains sample civics questions. The actual civics test given by a USCIS officer will contain 100 questions, of which 10 will be picked at random. You must answer six of these questions correctly to pass the civics test.
How Much Does It Cost?
Currently, the application filing costs $595 plus an $85 biometric fee. Military personnel and those over the age of 75 are not charged the biometric fee. The fee must be paid in the form of a check or money order payable to the Dept. of Homeland Security and must be sent with the original application form. The correct filing form is N-400, the Application for Naturalization. The form contains address information about where to send the completed application.
If you fail any portion of the naturalization test, you may take that section over without having to file an additional fee. The steps of the naturalization process are intended to identify any information that must be clarified rather than to discriminate or otherwise rule any individual as ineligible.
