Becoming an American citizen necessitates a number of steps, including determining your eligibility, filing your N-400 application, getting fingerprinted at a biometrics appointment, attending an interview at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office, passing tests of your knowledge of English and U.S. civics, and, once approved, attending an oath ceremony. These processes are outlined below.
Determine Your Eligibility for US Citizenship
The first question about U.S. citizenship eligibility is whether you hold a green card (legal permanent residence) in the United States. With a few exceptions, you must get a green card before applying for naturalized citizenship.
You must complete extra conditions as a lawful permanent resident in order to be eligible for US citizenship. These include your stay in the United States as a green card holder, your moral character, your ability to pass an English and U.S. history and government test, and other factors. Now is also a good time to start practicing your English language skills, if necessary, and to review the likely exam questions.
Complete and submit USCIS Form N-400
After determining your eligibility, you must file papers with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The N-400 is the starting point for the process. As of now, the application for citizenship costs $640 plus a $85 biometrics (fingerprinting) charge in most circumstances; however, USCIS regularly raises the fees.
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If you are unable to pay the N-400 charge, you may be eligible for a reduced fee or a waiver of the entire fee. You must also include a photocopy of your green card with your application, as well as any documents demonstrating that you qualify for an exception to one of the standard conditions.
Attend a biometrics consultation
A background check will be required to process your N-400 naturalization application. After your application has been accepted, you will be informed of a date for your biometrics session. You will be assigned a day and location to go to where you will be fingerprinted.
Following that, your fingerprints will be processed through the FBI and related databases for a background check. The goal is to look for offenses that would disqualify you from obtaining US citizenship.
Attend a USCIS Office for a Citizenship Interview
You should receive an appointment date and address for an interview with a UCSIC officer at the USCIS office servicing your area a few weeks following your biometrics appointment. This is most likely in a big nearby city.
The USCIS official will look through your Form N-400 and confirm your responses to all inquiries as well as your basic eligibility during this interview. The officer will also look through your immigration file for any previous issues. The officer will then test your English and civics knowledge.
Participate in the Oath Ceremony
You will be summoned to a major public event in which you and others will take the pledge of allegiance to the United States. Then you will be granted a certificate of naturalization, proving that you are a citizen of the United States.
In order to become a citizen of the US, you must carefully navigate through a number of necessary processes, each of which is crucial to your path. Every step, from determining eligibility to participating in ceremonies and interviews, is intended to make sure that new citizens are aware of the rights and obligations that come with being citizens. You'll be ready to start on this transformational and gratifying journey by carefully following these instructions and getting the right advice.
