How Does the U.S. Citizenship Application Process Work?

Introduction

The U.S. citizenship process, also known as naturalization, is a long and complicated process. However, the rewards are much greater than the amount of work needed to become a citizen. Once you have gained citizenship, you will be able to vote, get a passport, participate in federal programs and even gain security clearance in some government and private organizations.

Eligibility

The U.S. citizenship process starts with meeting the necessary eligibility requirements. These include being at least 18 years of age, residing lawfully in the United States, having permanent residency for at least the last five years, staying out of moral and criminal trouble for those five years of residency, having at least an elementary level of understanding of the English language and having a basic knowledge of U.S. history and politics. For more detailed eligibility requirements, visit the links available in the additional resources section of this article.

Application

Once you have met the eligibility requirements, you will need to file an application. You can get a copy of the application either online or directly from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Once you have completed the application both fully and honestly (lying on the application will result in an automatic denial of citizenship), you can return it by mail to the USCIS for processing. Along with the application you will need to send the application fee as well as two photographs. These photographs will need to meet USCIS standards.

Interview/Testing

Once your application has been processed you will be assigned an appointment with a USCIS employee. This interview will include fingerprinting and a testing of your basic English skills. You will also be tested for basic knowledge of U.S. history and politics through a civics test.

Decision

After you have completed the interview, you will have to wait for a decision. The decision can come back in one of three ways: denied, accepted or continuing. A continuing decision means that you need to either produce additional documentation or you failed one of the tests. Once you have provided the documents or retaken and passed the test, your application will move to either accepted or denied.

Oath

If you are accepted for U.S. citizenship, your final act will be an oath of allegiance to the United States. This involves revoking any allegiance to prior countries that you once resided in. Once the oath has been sworn, your green card will be replaced with a naturalization certificate. You are now a citizen of the United States of America.

Resources

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• U.S. Immigration Support