What does it take to become an American citizen?

First of all, you are an American citizen by birth.

In America, most people are born American citizens. However, there are several situations, mainly related to their birthplace or parental status, as follows:

1.

Born in the United States

If you were born in the United States (including Puerto Rico, Guam and the United States Virgin Islands in most cases), you will acquire American citizenship at birth (except the children of diplomats). A birth certificate is a proof of citizenship.

2.

Born outside the United States

If you were born outside the United States, you can obtain citizenship in the following three ways:

( 1).

Citizenship is automatically acquired at birth.

Children of American citizens born overseas (1under 8 years old),

If both parents are American citizens, or one parent is an American citizen and has lived in the United States for a certain number of years, a child can automatically obtain citizenship at birth. Parents can directly apply for the "American citizen overseas birth certificate" and American passport for their children.

(2).

Relying on the nationality application of parents/grandparents to accelerate naturalization

If the children (including adopted children) of American citizens born overseas cannot meet the conditions of automatic naturalization at birth and live outside the United States, they can speed up naturalization by relying on the nationality of their parents or grandparents under certain conditions. In this case, parents need to submit a naturalization application for their children, and the children must temporarily enter the United States through a B-2 visa, attend an interview, and complete the swearing-in naturalization ceremony.

(3).

Children with green cards automatically acquire citizenship.

Children (including adopted children) of American citizens who were born overseas and now live in the United States and become permanent residents through legal channels can automatically obtain American citizenship by relying on their parents' citizenship, and parents can apply for issuing citizenship cards for their children.

2. American permanent residents acquire American citizenship.

Permanent residents who have obtained a green card in the United States can obtain American citizenship by applying for naturalization and taking naturalization exams:

1.

Meet the five-year residence requirement and apply for naturalization.

If a permanent resident does not get a green card because he is married to an American citizen, he can apply for naturalization as an American citizen by submitting the N-400 form as long as certain conditions are met. These conditions mainly include: continuous residence in the United States for at least 5 years, actual residence for at least 30 months, and good conduct.

2.

My spouse is an American citizen, and I have met the residence requirements for three years and applied for naturalization.

If a permanent resident gets a green card for marrying an American citizen, he can get American citizenship faster than ordinary permanent residents. Specifically, after obtaining a green card, the spouse of an American citizen can become an American citizen by submitting an N-400 naturalization application as long as he has lived in the United States continuously for at least 3 years and actually lived for at least 15 months, and meets other naturalization requirements.

3.

The spouse is an American citizen and works outside the United States.

If a permanent resident gets a green card because he is married to an American citizen, and the American citizen works overseas, then the permanent resident may become an American citizen in a short time by submitting an N-400 application. Such permanent residents do not need to be restricted by continuous residence time and actual residence time. As long as certain conditions are met, they can apply for naturalization immediately after obtaining a green card.

4.

Military service personnel naturalized as American citizens.

Permanent residents who have served or served in the US military can be naturalized as American citizens as long as they meet certain conditions. These permanent residents are not limited by continuous residence time, actual residence time and residence time in the state, so naturalization is relatively simple. In addition, they do not need to pay any fees for applying for naturalization or obtaining a naturalization certificate.

Having a green card may encounter various difficulties in naturalization: staying overseas for too long; Need to work in China for a long time; Lost his green card; The green card expires; Have a criminal record; There is no tax return in the United States; There are bad records in the past (such as the amount of cash brought into the country does not match the declared amount, drunk driving, shoplifting, etc.). ); English listening, speaking, reading and writing difficulties; Did not apply for military service number; Unpaid alimony; Do not work for professional immigrant employers; Or disability and so on.