What Do You Need to Become a U.S. Citizen?
- According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, citizenship eligibility requires possession of a green card as a permanent resident of the United States for five consecutive years. You must be present in the United States for at least half of the five years and live in the area in which you plan to apply for at least three months directly prior to your application. You must be at least 18 years of age. You must plan to remain in the United States from the time of your application until the entire process is complete. You must pass the naturalization test and demonstrate acceptable personal character.
- Modifications to the qualifications for citizenship exist for the spouse of a Untied Stated Citizen. As a spouse, you must possess a green card as a permanent resident of the United States and live as a married couple for three consecutive years. You must be present in the United States for at least half of the three years. Spouses of Untied Stated citizens employed abroad by the United States government do not have to meet the time frame requirements.
- Certain individuals are not required to demonstrate English language proficiency as part of the naturalization test. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services may exempt this requirement if you are at least 50 years of age and have possessed a green card as a permanent resident of the United States for at least 20 years. If you are at least 55 years of age, you have to meet the residency requirement for at least 15 years. Naturalization test requirements may also be waived for individuals with disabilities provided appropriate documentation of disability is furnished.
- According to the Child Citizenship Act, a child born abroad is considered to be a United States citizen provided that one parent is a United States citizen and the child resides in the United States with this parent. A child may reside abroad if one parent is abroad on active military duty. Otherwise, a child living abroad must be living with a United States citizen parent and must make a temporary presence in the United States. The United States citizen parent must have resided in the United States for at least five years.
- The naturalization test involves English language proficiency and questions pertaining to United States history and government. The naturalization test is given in oral format by a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services officer. The officer is responsible for determining if you have an acceptable level of English language proficiency. The officer will ask you 10 out of 100 possible questions about United States history and government. You must achieve at least 60 percent to pass this portion of the test.
Qualifications
Spouse Eligibility
Exceptions
Children
Naturalization Test
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