What Are The Steps To Become US Citizen?
When you’ve been given a US green card, you have two choices: you can renew it repeatedly, or you can request to become US citizen.
How To Become US Citizen?
Are you thinking about immigrating to the US? Haven’t dealt with USCIS before? You will need to submit certified translation for all your personal documents if they’re not in English.
Benefits of being a US citizen
Though you are not expected to become US citizen when you get your green card, there are several benefits to becoming one. Here are some benefits of being a US citizen:
- Run for community office
- Get the right to take part in an election
- Enjoy overseas travel longer than six months
- Be qualified for national benefits and service
- No fear of banishment
- Ability to support other eligible family members
- Profit from the tax laws
- Be allowed to carry a US passport
- Be qualified for the monetary scholarship or grants
The process
Depending on the conditions, the process to obtain US citizenship can be less than a year, or it can take many years. One of the ideas is based on where you are settled when you apply for citizenship. If you are not yet a green card holder, this is where your whole process to become US citizen will begin. If your parents are not US residents, you have to migrate to the US and become a resident. After that, you have to build the necessary 5-year constant residency and apply for the naturalization process. The residency condition is shorter by about two years if you are wedded to a resident of the US, or you are a member of the US Military.
If you are already a green card holder and you have met the claimed years of continuous residency, you are qualified to apply and become US citizen.
What are the four ways to become a US citizen?
- Citizenship through naturalization: You go through the process of immigration and spend a specific amount of time in the US to become a citizen
- Citizenship through marriage: You apply for citizenship because you are married to a US citizen
- Citizenship through parents: If one or both of your parents are US citizens, you will become one too
- Citizenship through military: If you serve honorably in the military, you will be eligible to apply for US citizenship
What qualifies you to be a US citizen?
- Being a green card holder for at least five years
- Being married to a citizen of the US
- Being the child of American parent or parents, even if you were born outside the US
- Serving honorably in the military of the US
- Fulfilling all the requirements of the USCIS when you apply for citizenship
How much does it cost to become a US citizen in 2020?
Currently, if you are applying for US citizenship through naturalization, you will have to pay a fee of $725. But there are other expenses you will also have to take care of. You will have to get your birth certificate translated by qualified experts. The fee you will have to pay an immigration attorney if you hire one is separate.
How long does it take to become a citizen us?
It can take you anywhere between a year to a year and a half to become a citizen of the US. The naturalization application alone will be processed in eight months. After that, your citizenship interview and review will take four months. You might also have to wait for four months to get a decision on your application. Taking the oath of allegiance and getting your certificate of naturalization will take additional one and a half months.
The steps to become US citizen
The first move to become a citizen is to register Form N-400 and pay the fees. USCIS will process your request. A small error in your application associates to obstacles in processing, so make sure that this necessary first move is correct. You can get advice from a migration lawyer and assure that a certified translator translates all your needed documents or certificates that are not in English and that the translation is done according to USCIS requirements.
Once USCIS has evaluated and accepted your request, you will get notification from the bureau. You’ll be notified of your timing of immigration interview and test. The meeting time will depend on where you are, as longer waiting lists are in some regions.
When you pass the test and interview, you may still need to wait for a day, 180 days or two years before you can receive the citizenship oath, which is the ultimate step to become US citizen. Your area and the number of people expecting citizenship consent affect the waiting time for the oath-taking ceremony, where you will get your certificate of naturalization.
If you are already a permanent citizen in the US, the naturalization process can take six months to two years. It is essential that you meet with all the conditions of the USCIS. Make sure that all your needed papers are in sequence, have all your non-English documents translated plus certified, and keep duplicate copies of everything.
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