Throughout the history of the United States, immigrants have come here seeking a better life, strengthening our nation in the process. Naturalization is how immigrants become citizens of the United States.

Eligibility Requirements:

Age

Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

Residency/Physical Presence

An applicant must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence.

Has resided continuously as a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. for at least five years prior to filing with no single absence from the U.S. of more than one year.

Has been physically present in the U.S. for at least 30 months out of the previous five years.

Has resided within a state or district for at least three months.

NOTE: If you are married to a U.S. citizen, you can naturalize if you have been living in the U.S. with your spouse for three years.

Good Moral Character

Generally, an applicant must be a person of good moral character. A person cannot be found to be of good moral character if, during the last five years, he or she;

Has been convicted of two or more ofenses for which a total sentence imposed was five years.

Has been involved in smuggling illegal aliens into the U.S.

Is or has been a habitual drunkard.

Has willfully failed or refused to support dependents.

Has given false testimony, under oath, in order to active a benefit

(For a list of other offenses please visit the website)

NOTE: An applicant who has been convicted of an aggravated felony is permanently barred from naturalization.

Language

Applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language. (There are exceptions related to age, residency and disability.)

United States Government and History Knowledge

An applicant for normalization must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history and of the principles and form of government of the U.S. (Exceptions are provided based on disability, age and residency.)

Oath of Allegiance

To become a citizen one must take the oath of allegiance. By doing so, an applicant swears to:

Support the constitution and obey the laws of the U.S.

Renounce any foreign and allegiance or foreign title and

Bear arms for the armed forces of the U.S. or perform services for the government of the U.S. when required by law.

Expedited Naturalization Executive Order

On July 3, 2002, President Bush signed the Expedited Naturalization Executive Order benefiting non-citizens on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces during the War on Terrorism. The Executive Order allows active duty personnel serving on or after September 11, 2001, to immediately file for citizenship. Normally, a military service member would have to complete one-year of honorable service before qualifying to file for citizenship. Section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes the President to waive this requirement during periods of military hostilities.

Posthumous Benefits

The Immigration and Nationality Act allows for the awarding of posthumous citizenship to active-duty military personnel who die while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. In addition, surviving family members seeking immigration benefit are given special consideration.

NOTE: More than 660,000 people were naturalized in fiscal year 2007, ending September 30, 2007.

For more in-depth information regarding the naturalization process, visit our website at http//www.uscis.gov