Becoming a United States Citizen · Uniting Your Family
Naturalization is the term used for the process of becoming a United States citizen. Although there are many wonderful benefits to citizenship status — including voting and eliminating the possibility of deportation and removal — the most important thing for most immigrants is family. Bringing families together and keeping families together is the most important goal of immigration, and the goal of Familia America Immigration ~ Gloria Cardenas is to help you achieve that goal.
The Salt Lake City citizenship attorney, paralegal and staff of Familia America Immigration bring years of experience and a commitment to helping families come together and stay together in the United States. When you work with us, we treat you like family. We offer a free initial consultation to every new client.
Eligibility for Citizenship
Generally, you must be a permanent resident and live in the United States for a certain amount of years before becoming a citizen. The number of years depends on the circumstances:
- Over 18 years old and permanent resident with no special circumstances — You need to be a permanent resident for at least five years, without any absences from the country for longer than six months. The vast majority of people fall into this category.
- Over 18 and married to a U.S. citizen — You must be a permanent resident for at least three years without any absences from the country for longer than six months.
- In the U.S. Armed Forces — If you have served with the military for at least one year, you must be a permanent resident, but there is no minimum length of time or continuous residence requirement. You are eligible to apply for citizenship as soon as you become a permanent resident.
There are other contingencies that have separate residency requirements for eligibility, but these are generally the most common circumstances for eligibility.
If you do not know whether you are eligible for citizenship, contact Familia America Immigration ~ Gloria Cardenas. We want to help you.
The Naturalization Process
Naturalization is the process by which foreign nationals obtain U.S. citizenship. The naturalization process involves several steps, including:
- Becoming a permanent resident: By immigrating and obtaining permanent resident status (receiving a permanent residency, formerly known as a "green card"), you are taking the first step to full citizenship.
- Maintaining your status and eligibility: You need to be a permanent resident for a certain amount of time, depending on the details of your residency (in the vast majority of cases, it is five years) before you can become a citizen. During that time, immigration crimes and other circumstances could render you inadmissible for citizenship or cause deportation and removal by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
- Application for naturalization: After the time of permanent residency has been fulfilled, the application process starts with Form N-400 (or Form N-600 if we are applying for your child who is under 18 years old) and includes civics testing, photographs, fingerprints, an interview and other requirements.
- Appeal: If your application for citizenship has been denied, we can appeal your case. We can request a hearing with an immigration officer, petition for a waiver of inadmissibility and request a new review of your application.
Like members of your family, our family will not stop fighting for your citizenship until we know we have done everything we can.
Contact a Salt Lake City Naturalization Attorney
Call 801-990-1512 in Utah, 877-415-9604 toll free, or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation.
