Besides the obvious – that you now live in the US and fully intend to continue living here, there are some practical reasons why we recommend that clients file for US citizenship once they are eligible.
In the past few decades, applying for citizenship has become complex, with many requirements that need to be met. Below are general guidelines. Please reach out to us to discuss how we can help make the process easy for you.
You can apply for US citizenship if
If you meet one of these 3 requirements, you must also
When you ask us to help with your citizenship application, we will first go over the general criteria to determine whether you qualify. If you do, we next discuss any conditions that will stop you from obtaining citizenship. Some of these can include
There may be other criteria as well, which we can discuss to make sure you will qualify
Once we are able to review your information and determine that you qualify, we will have you sign our Fee Agreement. In almost all cases, we will charge a flat fee for our services, which we let you know upfront.
Once you are a client, we help you collect all the needed documents and file for the citizenship application for you.
A few weeks later the Immigration Service will schedule for you to go to their center for fingerprinting. This process is called “biometrics”.
Several months later, depending on where you live and how busy your local US CIS office is, you will be called in for an in-person interview. At the interview, you will go over the petition with the officer, and also take the Citizenship exam. Before you go, we will prepare you for the interview and provide materials for you to study for the citizenship exam. You can also hire us to attend the interview with you, if there is need.
If the officer who is interviewing you finds something missing, or incomplete, he will send out a Request asking for more evidence. If everything is complete, the officer will let you know that your application is approved.
Once the application is approved, you will get sworn in before a judge, hand in your green card, and be issued a “Certificate of Naturalization”. With this, you can go down to the local post office and apply for your US passport.
Most clients come to us because they do not want to deal with the paperwork and the USCIS, are either concerned that they do not meet the criteria, or that they have done something that will stop them from becoming citizens. Some just need to be able to continue international travel or have income outside the US and are concerned that becoming a US citizen will cause a problem to these needs. While these are the most common concerns, our clients sometimes have other issues as well. Whatever your reason, please know that in our decades of practice we have come probably across a situation similar to yours and will guide you each step of the way.
To talk with one of our attorneys, please contact us today.