You may be a U.S. citizen even though it took no effort or planning. If you aren’t a citizen but want to become one, you may face a long and difficult process, depending on a number of factors. You may need to see gaining citizenship as a long-term project that will require an investment of time, energy and money. Whether the investment is worth it is up to you.
If you’re interested in becoming a U.S. citizen you’re not alone.
Thanks to the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, you can become a citizen simply by the fact that you were born in the U.S., even though one or both of your parents weren’t authorized to be in the country at the time. There are 195 recognized countries in the world, and 33 allow this type of citizenship.
If you were born outside the country, you could still be a citizen if at least one of your parents was a U.S. citizen and that parent meets certain residence or physical presence requirements in the U.S. or an outlying possession prior to your birth, in accordance with applicable law.
If you’re not a citizen by birth, you face a more difficult path. You need to apply for it and be accepted.
Citizenship through naturalization is the process where a non-citizen voluntarily becomes an American citizen. To file a request to become a U.S. citizen you must have had a Permanent Resident (Green) Card for at least five years or at least three years if you’re married to a U.S. citizen. If you want to apply for naturalization less than six months before your Green Card expires, or do not apply for naturalization until it’s expired, you must renew your permanent residence first.
You must meet eligibility requirements, which include:
You can become a citizen if you marry a U.S. citizen residing in the U.S.
To qualify you must also meet the requirements listed in the section above, with the following differences:
Military service members, certain veterans of the U.S. armed forces and certain military family members may be eligible to become citizens under special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), including expedited and overseas processing.
If you served honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces for at least one year, you can apply for citizenship as soon as you get your green card. The green card requirement doesn’t apply if you seek U.S. citizenship after you served honorably on active duty during one of six wars or conflicts. You could potentially go from being an undocumented immigrant to applying for and receiving U.S. citizenship.
The periods of residence and physical presence in the U.S. required for naturalization may not apply to military members and certain military family members. Qualifying children of military members also may not need to be present in the U.S. to obtain citizenship. The entire process may also be completed overseas.
Not everyone wants to be a U.S. citizen. Many immigrants, especially those from Mexico and Latin America, after obtaining permanent legal residency, decide not to file for citizenship. It’s a personal choice based on individual wants and needs.
If it’s something you want but you’re not yet a legal permanent resident, it’s a process that will take years. But this is the United States, a land of opportunity, and if this is your dream it can be one that may come true.
