What is the Naturalization Process?
The naturalization process is a way that immigrants and their children under 18 years of age can become US citizens. When people complete the naturalization process, they are legal US citizens and they have every right that native-born US citizens have except for ability to be the president or the vice president of the United States of America.
The naturalization process has 5 steps and normally takes 7 to 11 years to complete. Below are the 5 steps to becoming a naturalized citizen.
The naturalization process has 5 steps and normally takes 7 to 11 years to complete. Below are the 5 steps to becoming a naturalized citizen.
Step One - Get a Permanent Residency Visa (Green Card)
The first thing that you must do in order to become a citizen is to apply for a permanent residency visa. There are many different types of visas such as the fiancee visa and the student visa, but in order to become a naturalized citizen you should apply for a permanent residency visa unless you have a fiancee in the US. To get a green card, you must be at least 18 years of age and have a job or family in the US. Getting a green card usually takes 5 years or more and costs $325.
Step 2 - Apply for US Citizenship
The next thing that you must do to become a naturalized US citizen is to apply for citizenship! Before applying for citizenship, however, you must hold your green card for 5 years unless your spouse is a US citizen, in which case you only have to hold it for 3 years. The last 2 1/2 of those years you must live continuously on US soil. There is only one acception to this rule which is if an immediate family member dies. If this happens, you can go to their funeral but you must return to the US after it is over.
As well as living in the US for 5 years unless your spouse is a US citizen, you also must pay $600 for a citizenship application.
As well as living in the US for 5 years unless your spouse is a US citizen, you also must pay $600 for a citizenship application.
Step 3 - Getting Fingerprinted & Investigated
The next step is to get fingerprinted and pay a $70 fee to be investigated by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to make sure that you are not affiliated with any terrorist, anti-US groups or groups, or groups wishing to overthrow the government. Your character and behavior is also investigated to make sure that you meet the standards that we have for potential US citizens.
Step 4 - Be Interviewed and Tested
After completing the 3 former, you have but two steps left to go before you complete the naturalization process. The fourth step - being interviewed and tested is fairly easy. First, you wait to be contacted and told when your interview is. You will be interviewed and tested on basic questions about civics, US history, and English language. Many people find it to actually be hard to fail your interview because the people who interview you are very nice and try to help you if you are having trouble with a question or so.
Step 5 - Take Oath of Alleigance to the US
The next and final step to becoming an aturalized citizen of the US is taking the oath of alleigance to the US!
"I hereby declare, on oath,
That I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all alleigaiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject;
That I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
That I will bear true faith and alleigiance to the same;
That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;
That I will preform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law;
That I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."
And so, from that point on.. you are a naturalized citizen of the United States of America!
Congratulations! You are now a U.S. citizen!
"I hereby declare, on oath,
That I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all alleigaiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject;
That I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic;
That I will bear true faith and alleigiance to the same;
That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law;
That I will preform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law;
That I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."
And so, from that point on.. you are a naturalized citizen of the United States of America!
Congratulations! You are now a U.S. citizen!
