Age
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
- Refer to the section, Naturalized Citizen's Children under Waivers, Exceptions, and Special Cases for information on applicants
who are less than 18 years old.
- See Also INA 334
Residency
- An applicant must have been lawfully admitted -- that means having been legally accorded the privilege of residing permanently
in the US as an immigrant in accordance with the immigration laws.
- Individuals who have been lawfully admitted as permanent residents will be asked to produce an I-551, Alien Registration Receipt
Card, as proof of their status.
- See Also INA 316
Residence and Physical Presence
An applicant is eligible to file if, immediately preceding the filing of the application, he or she:
- has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence;
- has resided continuously as a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. for at least 5 years prior to filing with no single absence
from the US of more than 1year;
- has been physically present in the US for at least 30 months out of the previous 5 years
(absences of more than six months but less than one year shall disrupt the applicant's continuity of residence unless the
applicant can establish that he or she did not abandon his or her residence during such period);
- has resided within a state or district for at least 3 months.
Good Moral Character
Generally, an applicant must show that he or she has been a person of good moral character for the statutory period, typically
5 years (or 3 years if married to a U.S. citizen or 1 year for Armed Forces expedite) prior to filing for naturalization.
- An applicant is permanently barred from naturalization for a murder conviction or in cases of aggravated felony (defined in
section 101(a)(43) of the Act on or after November 29, 1990). (There are other reasons – see the USCIS website for more.)
- See Also INA 316
Attachment to the Constitution
- An applicant must show that he or she is attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States.
- See Also INA 316
Language
Applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language.
Those exempt:
- have been residing in the US subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for periods totaling 15 years or more
and are over 55 years of age;
- have been residing in the US subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for periods totaling 20 years or more
and are over 50 years of age; or
- have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment affecting the applicant’s ability to learn English.
- See Also INA 312
United States Government and History Knowledge
An applicant for naturalization must demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history and of the
principles and form of government of the US. Applicants exempt:
- have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment affecting the applicant’s ability to learn
- who have been residing in the U.S. subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for at least 20 years and are
over the age of 65 will get special consideration
- See Also INA 312
Oath of Allegiance
To become a citizen, one must take the oath of allegiance swearing to:
-
support the Constitution and obey the laws of the U.S.;
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renounce any foreign allegiance and/or foreign title; and
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bear arms for the Armed Forces of the U.S. or perform services for the government of the U.S. when required. In certain instances
of religious teaching of believes opposing military service, applicants can take a modified oath.
-
See Also INA 337
