Gainesville Citizenship & Naturalization Lawyer
Once you become a naturalized U.S. citizen, your citizenship is forever. You never have to renew it, and you can only lose your citizenship if you go through the formal process to give it up voluntarily, or if the U.S. goes through a lengthy legal process of taking it away from you after you are convicted of the most serious crimes, such as treason. In other words, once you have U.S. citizenship, you can vote in federal elections, as well as the state and local elections of your place of residence, for the rest of your life. Any children of yours born after you become naturalized will also be U.S. citizens, even if they are born outside the U.S., and you can sponsor other family members, such as your spouse, parents, or siblings, for legal permanent residency. Federal jobs where U.S. citizenship is a requirement will also be open to you. If you are planning on applying for United States citizenship but have questions about the process or are concerned about your application getting denied, contact the Gainesville citizenship & naturalization lawyers at Shirazi Immigration Law, Inc.
How Do You Become Eligible to Apply for United States Citizenship?
Being a legal permanent resident of the United States, also known as a green card holder, is a prerequisite to applying for U.S. citizenship. If you are unmarried, you become eligible to apply for citizenship five years after obtaining legal permanent residency. If you are the spouse of a United States citizen, you become eligible to apply for naturalization three years after your green card is issued.
Everyone born in the United States is automatically a U.S. citizen from birth. If you are a U.S. citizen and a child is born to you outside the United States, you may register your child as a U.S. citizen as soon as the child is born; you do not need to apply for a green card for children born after you get your U.S. citizenship.
How Does the Naturalization Process Work?
To apply for naturalization, you must file form N-400. The form asks you about your residency and immigration history and includes questions about your background, including past criminal convictions in the United States or elsewhere. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may ask for biometrics such as fingerprints. Then USCIS will call you for an interview, during which you must answer questions to show your functional proficiency in the English language, as well as about topics related to civics and government. USCIS provides a booklet of civics information for citizenship applicants to study. Some time after your interview, USCIS will call you to invite you to a citizenship ceremony, where you promise to obey the laws of the United States, and you receive your naturalization certificate. After your naturalization ceremony, you may apply for a U.S. passport, register to vote, and do everything else that U.S. citizens do, including holding federal jobs and running for public office.
Citizenship and Naturalization Lawyers in Gainesville, Georgia
An immigration lawyer can help you avoid delays and denials of your citizenship application Contact Shirazi Immigration Law, Inc. at our offices in Atlanta, Georgia to represent you in your naturalization case.
