Citizenship and Naturalization Lawyer Philadelphia

There are several benefits to obtaining US citizenship through naturalization, including the following:

• Petitioning for family members. US citizens can generally petition for their family members and face shorter wait times that permanent residents.
• Inability to be deported. Permanent residents may face deportation if they commit a crime in the United States. Naturalized citizens of the US are able to keep their citizenship (barring few exceptions) and cannot be deported. 
• Ability to vote in US elections. Only US citizens may vote in federal, state, and local elections. US citizens may also run for public office.
• Dual citizenship. The US permits dual citizenship (although other countries may not). 
• Eligibility for federal employment. Employment within the US government typically requires US citizenship.

Many lawful permanent residents may be eligible to obtain US citizenship. The requirements are as follows:

• Must be a lawful permanent resident of the United States. Typically, this means being a permanent resident, however, conditional permanent residents may apply for naturalization in some circumstances. Most naturalization applicants must have been permanent residents for at least 5 years, however, those who obtained their residency through marriage to US citizens usually only need to accrue 3 years of permanent residency. 
• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Must continuously reside in the United States. Generally, an applicant must reside in the US for a 3-year or 5-year period (depending on how they obtained their permanent residency), with no absences of more than 6 months at a time.
• Must maintain continuous physical presence in the United States. In addition, an applicant must generally be physically present in the US for at least half of their 3-year or 5-year period in total.
• Must possess good moral character. An applicant may not have committed a crime or violated the immigration laws within the 3-year or 5-year period preceding their application for naturalization. Other issues include unresolved outstanding tax liabilities, failure to pay child support, voting in a US election, and/or falsely claiming to be a US citizen/
• Must be able to pass English language tests and a US civics test. The applicant must generally be able to read, write, and speak basic English. There are limited exceptions to this requirement for individuals over 50 years of age who have been permanent residents for long periods of time. A study guide for the civics test is available for free from the USCIS website. 
• Must support the Constitution and form of government of the United States and must be willing to take the full Oath of Allegiance to the United States. The language of the Oath may be found on the USCIS website.

The naturalization application process generally takes 6-12 months. Near the end of that timeframe, an applicant should expect to be called to their local USCIS office for an interview. During the interview, a USCIS officer will conduct the English language and civics tests, review the individual’s application, and confirm their eligibility for naturalization. If the interview is successful, the USCIS officer will schedule the individual for an oath ceremony, where the individual will be sworn in as a new citizen of the United States. 

Philadelphia Lawyer for Citizenship and Naturalization

A Philadelphia Immigration Lawyer at The Law Offices of Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. can help provide you with professional legal representation to clients seeking to obtain citizenship through naturalization. For a free consultation, contact us online or call one of our Philadelphia immigration lawyers at 215-673-7733.

This content was written on behalf of Greg Prosmushkin.