US Citizenship and How to Get It

Applying for a US citizenship is a complicated process. However, we will summarize it for you. After you complete your US citizenship application and enclose all necessary items, such as photos, you will receive the letter from US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The letter will have the appointment date when your fingerprints will be taken. If the immigration agency requests any additional documents, you must promptly provide them and send them in. The agency currently needs you to pay $ 300 for processing your application.

After you complete all preliminary steps; you will receive your interview appointment. You will need to bring all wanted identifications with additional documents, which will be named in the instructions. You will have to take exams that will test the knowledge of English. Then, the immigration agency will let you know of its decision.

If everything goes well, you will receive the letter that will specify a ceremony date. It may take you up to five months to take the Oath from the date of decision. You will take the Oath during the ceremony itself. Typically, there will be a few speakers who will talk to you about how great it is to live in USA and to become its citizen. Once you go to the specified location, you will release your permanent resident card (your Green Card), which was previously issued to you. After you take the Oath, you will receive your Certificate of Naturalization.

Whenever people apply for US citizenship, they quickly become impatient when it comes to the results. You should understand that US Citizenship and Immigration Services receive thousands of petitions every year. Much like every other federal agency, it is understaffed. Previously, it took close to a few years to receive any reply from the agency. In the recent years, the agency tries to speed up processing applications. Thus, you might be lucky to receive the response within the first year of waiting.

One trend that we noticed is that some people wait for “the better times” to apply for US citizenship. As life often teaches us, times seldom change for the better. This is not thinking pessimistically, but thinking realistically. When it comes to immigration, they can only get worse. After the beginning of war with Iraq, the number of deportations has increased dramatically. Since the agency went from being Immigration and Naturalization Service to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, many US citizenship policies have changed. The new immigration agency has more control over its application processing procedures. This, in turn, translates into less waiting time for you to find out if you will become a US citizen or not. As the agency tightens its control even further over the number of foreigners who are allowed to be in the United States legally, the chances of one becoming a citizen will be slim.

What does it all mean to you? You should not postpone applying for US citizenship. The application process becomes more complex. However, it becomes more organized as well. It is expected the number of people who will be allowed to stay in USA permanently and to become naturalized citizens will decrease even further.

Please click here to return to our us citizenship Home page.