Foreigners who come from all over the world are seeking to become citizens of the United States. Persons either are born United States citizens or become one by naturalization. However, to become a citizen of the US, one has to follow step-by-step instructions to do so.
It is a requirement for everyone becoming a US citizen to fill out an N-400 form and submit it to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. To locate this form just visit the agency’s website. After filling out the N-400 form very carefully, submit it along with two identical passport pictures of yourself. Once you have determined the appropriate time to file the petition, the next step is to gather the required documents (Curtis, 2008).
Before citizenship of the US is granted, one of the first things to consider is if you are eligible by age to do so. To become a United States citizen, one has to be at least 18 years of age.
Proof of how long you have been in the United States will have to be produce by you. To become a US citizen, one should be a resident for at least 5 years and possess a Resident Card.
The requirement to write and speak Basic English is necessary to become a US citizen. However, in the case of disability (and depending on the type of disability), he or she may exempt from this rule. Another exemption from this rule is the age of a person.
It is a requirement for everyone desiring to become a citizen of the US to pass a civic test. A civic test is given based on the history and present governmental structure of the country.
The USA is not in the business of attracting unscrupulous characters to its shores and so making one a citizen requires by law that the person seeking citizenship swear to be of good moral conduct.
Males desirous of seeking citizenship must comply with the Selective Service requirements. If a male has deserted the armed forces in the past, the authorities will not grant citizenship. In addition, the prospective citizen because of being a male and of age must be willing to serve in the armed forces.
Everyone seeking citizenship must be willing to swear to uphold the constitution of the United States of America. In addition, one must be willing to swear an oath of allegiance to the United States.
For married individuals, he or she should be married for at least 3 years and the spouse should be a citizen of the U.S. for at least 3 years.
However, in some cases, different eligibility rules may apply such as if one is under 18 years of age, one’s spouse has died serving in the armed forces of the United States or in the past the prospective applicant seeking citizenship has served actively in the United States armed forces. In addition, further eligibility rules may apply if one’s spouse is a US citizen, works for the government of the US, a member of the clergy, or is a member of the US armed forces.
Source
Curtis, Philip (2008) Applying for U.S. Citizenship. Publisher: Knol. Retrieved from: http://www.knol.google.com/k/applying-for-u-s-citizenship#