Citizenship and Naturalization

The United States has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all parts of the world. The United States values the contributions of immigrants who continue to enrich this country and preserve its legacy as a land of freedom and opportunity.

U.S. citizenship is a unique bond that unites people around civic ideals and a belief in the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The promise of citizenship is grounded in the fundamental value that all persons are created equal and serves as a unifying identity to allow persons of all backgrounds, whether native or foreign-born, to have an equal stake in the future of the United States.

USCIS administers citizenship and naturalization law and policy by:

Providing accurate and useful information to citizenship and naturalization applicants;
Promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship; and
Adjudicating citizenship and naturalization applications in a consistent and accurate manner.
Accordingly, USCIS reviews benefit request for citizenship and naturalization to determine whether:
Foreign-born children of U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization meet the eligibility requirements before recognizing their acquisition or derivation of U.S. citizenship.
Persons applying for naturalization based on their time as lawful permanent residents meet the eligibility requirements to become U.S. citizens.
Persons applying for naturalization based on their marriage to a U.S. citizen meet the eligibility requirements for naturalization through the provisions for spouses of U.S. citizens.
Members of the U.S. armed forces and their families are eligible for naturalization and ensure that qualified applicants are naturalized expeditiously through the military provisions.
Persons working abroad for certain entities, to include the U.S. Government, meet the eligibility requirements for certain exceptions to the general naturalization requirements.

Who is eligible for Naturalization?

For most immigrants, to become a U.S. citizen is the ultimate goal. We all come to this country with dreams and aspirations wanting to work hard and earn the privilege to become a U.S. citizen. To apply for naturalization to become a U.S. citizen, you must:

Be at least 18 years of age at the time you file the application;
Have been a lawful permanent resident for the past three or five years (depending on which naturalization category you are applying under);
Have continuous residence and physical presence in the United States;
Be able to read, write, and speak basic English;
Demonstrate good moral character;
Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of U.S. history and government;
Demonstrate a loyalty to the principles of the U.S. Constitution; and
Be willing to take the Oath of Allegiance.

A person may derive or acquire U.S. citizenship at birth. Persons who are born in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States are citizens at birth. Persons who are born in certain territories of the United States also may be citizens at birth. In general, but subject in some cases to other requirements, including residence requirements as of certain dates, this includes persons born in:

Puerto Rico on or after April 11, 1899; [1]

Canal Zone or the Republic of Panama on or after February 26, 1904; [2]

Virgin Islands on or after January 17, 1917; [3]

Guam born after April 11, 1899; [4] or

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) on or after November 4, 1986. [5]

Persons born in American Samoa and Swains Island are generally considered nationals but not citizens of the United States. [6]

In addition, persons who are born outside of the United States may be U.S. citizens at birth if one or both parents were U.S. citizens at their time of birth. Persons who are not U.S. citizens at birth may become U.S. citizens through naturalization. Naturalization is the conferring of U.S. citizenship after birth by any means whatsoever.

In general, an applicant files a naturalization application and then USCIS grants citizenship after adjudicating the application. In some cases, a person may be naturalized by operation of law. This is often referred to as deriving citizenship. In either instance, the applicant must fulfill all of the requirements established by Congress. In most cases, a person may not be naturalized unless he or she has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence.

Deciding to become a U.S. citizen is one of the most important decisions an immigrant can make. Naturalized U.S. citizens share equally in the rights and privileges of U.S. citizenship. U.S. citizenship offers immigrants the ability to: