Applying for U.S. citizenship can be a complicated process. Even if you diligently strive to meet all the requirements, you may still have difficulty with the final application. Hiring an experienced immigration attorneys can help ensure you meet the following requirements and help you through the process without having legal set-backs.
Lawful Permanent Resident
Even though immigration reform has been a hot political issue for several years, the requirements for an application to become a US citizen has yet to change. To Naturalize into being a US citizen, you must be a lawful permanent resident of the United States before applying for citizenship. This requirement may be waved if you have served overseas for the U.S. military.
Continuous Residence
All applicants applying for citizenship must have continuously resided in the U.S. for at least 5 years. This doesn’t mean that you cannot leave the country during that time. It just means that you must have established a permanent residence here in the U.S. and maintain that residence by paying rent, a mortgage, taxes, and other legal requirements even in times you were out of the country. Additionally, you are not required to maintain the same physical address during that period of time. As long as you and your immigration attorneys can show a continuous presence in the country you should meet this requirement.
Physical Presence
In addition to the residential requirements, you must have been physically present in the country for at least half of the time that residence was established. Furthermore, you must have lived at your current location for a minimum of three months prior to filing the application.
Good Moral Character
During your application process, USCIS will thoroughly evaluate all aspects of your life while living in the United States. They will ensure that you have paid taxes during that time, held employment, and have a clean criminal record, including making sure that you are not behind on Child Support. This step in the process can often cause complications for applicants. Even the slightest infraction can cause a rejection under the new guidelines.
It is imperative that you inform your immigration attorneys of anything that occurred during your residence that may pose an issue and it would be best if you reviewed your responses on the N-400 application with your attorney before signing it.
The law firm of Goldstein & Scopellite, PC, with its experienced immigration and immigration criminal consequence attorneys, has an excellent track-record. The firm, located in Dallas, Texas, was established in 2002; now only takes selected clients. Contact the firm’s representative at 214-351-9100 for more information. Thank you.
