Helping immigrants (Legal permanent resident, green-card holder) become U.S. Citizens. The immigration lawyers at our firm have helped hundreds of LPR to become the United States Citizens. Our immigration attorneys are experienced in Naturalization process particularly in complex cases involving criminal issues. What we do as immigration attorney is far more than filling out 22 pages of N-400 naturalization forms. Our immigration attorneys will make sure that he meets all the requirements, and spot issues with the case.
Our immigration attorneys will help you to provide necessary supporting documents meeting residence requirement and good-moral character requirement. Our immigration attorney will help you to be prepared for the naturalization interview by having a mock interview. Who is Eligible? An applicant is eligible for Naturalization where he or she can meet the following requirements:
1. Must be 18 years old
2. Must have Permanent Residence Status (Green Card) for five years subsequent to application. If married to a U.S. Citizen, the permanent residency requirement is three years as long as still married to the same USC. For VOWA naturalization applicant (person who received the green card by filing I-360 VOWA application because s/he has been a victim of abuse by U.S. citizen, s/he has to wait only for three years before s/he can apply N-400 regardless of whether s/he is married to US Citizen abuser.
3. Must have resided for at least three months within the state the petition was filed.
4. Must be physically present in the U.S. for at least one-half of the five years (one half of the three years for spouse of a Citizen).
5. Must have resided continuously within the U.S. from the date the application was filed up to the time of admission to citizenship.
6. Must not be absent for a period more than six months during the period residence is required. (Five years or three years).
7. Must be a person of good moral character. Common Reasons for Denial of Citizenship Applicant cannot speak/write English.
Applicants are required to speak, understand and write in the English language. An exception exists where the applicant is at least 50 years old and has maintained permanent residency for at least 20 years, or is at least 55 years old and has maintained permanent residency for at least 15 years.
Here, the applicant may have the examination performed in his or her native language. The applicant may also apply for a Waiver if he or she is unable to learn English due to a medical condition. An applicant may be denied citizenship if he or she is on probation for any crime committed at the time of interview. An applicant may also be denied Citizenship if he or she committed a crime involving moral turpitude. Failure to pass the Naturalization test.
Generally 10 questions are asked by the examiner, applicant must answer at least 6 questions right to pass the test. Application Procedure Application should be filed at the regional Service Center where the applicant is permanently residing. The Application is submitted on a N-400 form with two photos. The applicant will be scheduled for fingerprinting appointment subsequent to filing the application. Applicants can file up to three months before he or she meets the residency requirement.
All Applicants for Citizenship will be interviewed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The applicant may request one re-examination. An Attorney may accompany the Applicant to his or her Naturalization Interview. Are you Legally entitled to Citizenship by Birth? Not everyone who wants to obtain U.S. citizenship needs to be naturalized. Some people are already legally U.S. citizens — including people who are not even aware of that fact — and simply need to obtain a U.S. passport and/or certificate of citizenship.
Under the Child Citizenship Act, if you were born abroad, you have at least one U.S. citizen parent and you have your green card, you may be a U.S. citizen by operation of law and eligible for citizenship documents, or you may be able to acquire citizenship by presenting certain evidence to the authorities.
Our immigration attorneys represented many of Child citizenship Act clients---especially adopted children of USC. Case example under Child Citizenship act.
Case 1: Immigration and naturalization attorney helped a child who came to USA with visitor visa. We helped with adoption of the child to US parents. After 2 years of adoption, our immigration attorneys filed a family petition by her adoptive father. As soon as she received her green card, she became automatically a US citizen under Child Citizenship act since she is an LPR now, and under 18 years old and one of her parents was the citizen of U.S.A.
Case 2: Our immigration attorneys dramatically “saved” a minor from deportation. He committed a deportable crime, and was put into a removal proceeding. Immigration judge ordered him to be deported. He was detained to be deported back to Mexico. A couple of days before his scheduled deportation, his mother came to our Dallas immigration law office, and consulted with Dallas immigration attorney. It is discovered that when he became a LPR, and he was only 17 years old 8 months and his biological father was a US citizen. Though his biological mother was only LPR and now had been divorced from his father for a long time, he was a US citizen under Child Citizenship act. Our Dallas immigration attorneys faxed the proof of his relationship to his father, and proof of his father being a US citizen, he was immediately released from the detention center. Derivative US citizenship can be complex. It takes an experienced/specialized immigration attorney to help you to navigate this area of complex immigration law. Please contact our Dallas immigration attorney office.
