How long can I apply for American citizenship after I get an American green card?

If you get a green card by marrying an American spouse, you can apply for American citizenship after three years. If you get a green card by other means, you can apply for American citizenship five years later. However, if the green card holder joins the army, he can avoid waiting for three to five years and apply for citizenship immediately. Specific application procedures and forms can be obtained from the following US Citizenship and Immigration websites.

Those who meet the following conditions can apply for naturalization:

1. The applicant must be at least 18 years old.

2. the applicant must be a permanent resident of the United States (that is, holding a green card).

3. The applicant has lived in the United States for five consecutive years (if he is the spouse of an American citizen, he can apply for naturalization after marrying the citizen for three years). During this five-year period, the applicant must have lived in the United States for more than 30 months. If the applicant has been away from the country for more than one year, this period shall be counted from the date of his return to the United States.

4. The applicant has lived in the last three months of five consecutive years in the state where the application is submitted.

Applicants must know simple English words and be able to read and write English short sentences.

6. Applicants must understand the history and political system of the United States and firmly believe in the constitutional principles of the United States.

7. The applicant must be of good character. It means that you can't have a major criminal record. Many people with criminal records, such as murder, drug trafficking, gambling and tax evasion, have been refused naturalization. If they join the army, they can't escape halfway.

Procedures for applying for naturalization

1998, the Immigration Bureau made two biggest changes to the naturalization procedure:

1. The application form for naturalization by mail will be officially implemented from1April 1998 16. The application form for citizenship (Form N-400) will be sent directly to the processing center, and then the processing center will inform the applicant to stamp the fingerprint card of the fingerprint center. Greater los angeles area, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland (including California) are the following addresses for mailing citizen registration forms:

California service center

Note: N-400 units

Page (abbreviation of page) P.O. Box 10400

Laguna Nagur, California 92607-0400.

Second, the Immigration Bureau raised the application fee for citizenship from 10/month 1999 15 to $225. In addition, the fingerprint fee of $25 will be paid separately, but the fingerprint card does not need to be submitted at the same time. In order to avoid unnecessary delay and mistakes, it is recommended to submit the N-400 form within 90 days before the five-year green card approval date.

interview

About a year and a half later (the waiting period varies according to the operation progress of local immigration offices), the immigration office will inform me to go for an interview. You must pass the exam during the interview to prove that you can read, speak and write simple words and expressions in English and sign your name in English. At the same time, you need to know the common sense of the US Constitution, history and government structure.

There are exceptions to this law. Anyone who is 50 to 55 years old and holds a US green card for more than 15 years can take the national language test. If I am disabled and have a doctor's certificate, I can also get more discounts (without written and oral tests).

Interview is a very important step in naturalization. The documents needed for the interview are simple. The interviewer only needs to bring a green card and photo identification, such as a driver's license. The interview questions are conducted in English, and the topics are simple, such as your name, address, criminal record, deportation record in the United States and so on.

It must be pointed out that the US Immigration Service recently issued a regulation. According to Section 335, Item 6, Chapter 8 of the United States Federal Law:

1. Any applicant who applies for naturalization as a U.S. citizen who fails to attend the interview notified by the U.S. Immigration Bureau and fails to give a written explanation within 30 days shall be deemed to have renounced naturalization as a U.S. citizen. In addition, the written explanation must include a request to reschedule the interview. If there is no written explanation, the Immigration Bureau will close their application cases without making any decision on the applicants.

Two, the application for naturalization of citizens closed by the Immigration Bureau, you can submit a written review within one year without paying extra fees. The date of review is also regarded as the date of re-application.

make a wish

Once you pass the interview, you will receive an oath from the immigration office within one month to six months; Since the United States does not recognize dual nationality, I must swear to renounce my original nationality. In addition, they must swear allegiance to the United States and abide by its Constitution and laws. After taking the oath, he obtained an American citizenship card and officially became an American citizen.