Requirements for Citizenship According to US Immigration Law

If you are an immigrant, obtaining US citizenship is often the best path to securing good jobs and removing the restrictions that limit the length of your stay in the US. It simply confers you all the rights that ordinary US citizens have. Therefore, if you have intentions of permanently relocating to the US either for employment purposes or to be reunited with your relatives who’ve already gained permanent residence in the country, knowing the requirements of citizenship under the US Immigration Law is certainly information you can use.

One of the basic prerequisites for anyone seeking to obtain citizenship is that you must have attained the age of majority and therefore considered an adult in accordance to the US law. This means that you must be over the age of 18 years and of sound mind to ensure that you are mentally capable of making your own decisions. Your ability to read and write in English will also play a crucial role in determining whether or not you qualify for citizenship. Additionally, a clean criminal record and morals that are within the societal norms are prerequisites for citizenship.

Further, US Immigration Law requires the applicant to have been a permanent resident of the United States for a period of at least five consecutive years in order to obtain citizenship. This period is reduced to three years for those immigrants who are married to US citizens. It is important to keep in mind that you have to live in US for 5 (or 3) years consecutively implying that you should not fly to any other country during this period until you are awarded citizenship. If you travel to another foreign nation within this 5 year duration it should be strictly if you are employed on federal jobs with a concrete reason of breaking the permanent residence regulations required for immigrants to be awarded citizenship.

Children born to immigrants in the US are fortunate because according to US Immigration Law, any child born in the US or any other place where the US has jurisdiction is considered a US citizen regardless of the citizenship status of his or her parents. But beware that this only applies to children who are born in the United States so if you immigrated to the US along with your (foreign-born) children, they will still be regarded as aliens and not necessarily US citizens.

Considering these prerequisites it may appear that obtaining citizenship is quite difficult. perhaps this is the reason why a number of immigrants choose to employ quick means of becoming US citizens like fraud marriage. It is imperative that you refrain from such acts because not only will you be deported, you will never be allowed entry to the United States again. This is not the outcome you desire. If you're seeking US citizenship, it is important to read and be familiar with US Immigration law so you can avoid any situations which could derail your dreams of living in the US forever.