American Citizenship
The benefits of being a US citizen are several , such as having the right to remain permanently in the United States, the right to vote and to receive other support and protections provided by the federal government and state governments . Permanent residents, despite having the right to live permanently in our country, can be placed in deportation proceedings by violating the immigration laws of the United States. Being a citizen completely eliminates this risk. The process of obtaining US citizenship, better known as naturalization, begins with filing an application, known as the N-400, and documents. The same goes with taking a test that measures basic skills in English and civics ( the system of government and the history of the United States), and ends with a naturalization ceremony, where the new citizens pledge allegiance to the United States.
At the naturalization ceremony of US you will:
- Renounce your allegiance to other countries,
- Pledge support of, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States,
- Loyalty to the United States, and
- You will serve the country if necessary
Although you renounce your loyalty to other countries, you do not have to renounce your original citizenship. The United States recognizes that its subjects may have multiple citizenships, although it does not encourage the practice.
If you are interested in applying for naturalization and wish to know if you meet all the requirements of the law, call us today at 787-919-0026 to consult your eligibility and to get a quote for our legal services. You can also coordinate and fully online consultation, right now.
Generally speaking, according to the Immigration and Nationality Act, the following persons may apply for naturalization:
- Has been a permanent legal resident for 5 years before applying, with continuous physical presence in the United States for at least half of that term, and without absences from the country of more than 6 months.
- He has obtained permanent residence by marriage to a US citizen, and shows that the person is still cohabitating with such citizen, for at least 3 years prior to filing the application. As an exception, if the applicant was abused by the U.S. citizen spouse during this time period, such cohabitation with the abusive spouse is not necessary to qualify. The requirement of continuous physical presence and residence described above also applies.
- The applicant has resided for at least 3 months in the district where applying for naturalization.
- The applicant is deemed to be a person of good moral character.
- The applicant has fulfilled registered with the "Selective Service", if male, and became a permanent resident, or was permanent resident of the United States between the ages of 18 and 26.
This, however, merely represents the bulk of cases for naturalization. There are other ways as provided by law to become a U.S. citizen. For example, there are expedited naturalization procedures for those who serve in the United States military, and which are already permanent residents, among others,
In addition to fulfilling the basic requirements, the applicant must take and pass an examination that measures basic knowledge about the English language, as well as about the history and civics of the United States. Many permanent residents are afraid of applying for naturalization because of the requirement of basic knowledge of the English language. However, the exam measures basic skills, and is not by itself a complicated examination.
Not everyone is under the obligation to take the test of basic skills in English. If the applicant is 50 years old and has been a permanent resident for 20 years or more, or is 55 years old, and has been a permanent resident for 15 years or more, such applicant does not have to take the naturalization examination in the English language. However, such applicants must take the test of civics and history in the language of their choice. If the applicant is over 65 years old and has been a permanent resident for periods of 20 years or more, he or she applicant must take a simpler version of the civics and history exam in the language of choice.