“Hi this is immigration attorney, Abhisha Parikh and today I am going to be talking about naturalization and citizenship requirements. More and More people wish tot apply to become US citizens, whether it is for a job or for family reasons. Being a US citizen allows you to do things that you couldn’t do as a permanent resident. However, there are some very strict and specific requirements to become a US Citizen. I am not going to cover all of them in this video, but i will go over the most important ones. The main one is to be able to speak English, unless you fall into one of the exceptions. Such as, you are over the age of 55 and you have been a permanent resident for at least 15 years. The other requirement is that the person must be over the age of 18 to apply. Another important prerequisite is the residency. a person must be a US permanent resident for at least 5 years, or 3 years if they received their green card based on a marriage to a US Citizen. In addition to this requirement, a person must also be present in the US for at least 30 months out of the 5 years preceding the application. And finally, a person must be a resident of the state or county for at least 3 months before sending out the application. in order to qualify a person must be of good moral character. What does that meant? This means that the person must not have committed a crime or deception or misrepresentation. if they did, this could preclude them from becoming a US citizen. For example, lets say a person has a DUI and is on probation for example. during that time frame, you cannot apply for a citizenship. If you do you will have to withdraw your application and reapply later, once that person is eligible again. Good moral character is a very complicated issue and a lot of people are confused about what it means. If you think that there is any criminal history that may have an effect on your application; it is advisable to consult an attorney about the requirements before you send in your application. There are a few exceptions that i will go over too. Any person who has served in the military has special consideration when they apply for a citizenship. they do not need to meet all the requirements, such as a residency in the US for a x amount of time. Also, those who are married to a US citizen, do not have to wait the 5 years, they can apply after 3 years. Also, people who are over the age of 50 and have been a permanent resident for a certain amount of years are exempt for the foreign language requirement. All these requirements exceptions are listed on the USCIS website. Bottom line is there is a lot of key advantages to becoming a US citizen. Once you become a US citizen you are allowed to leave the country and spend time abroad if needed. Also, there are many jobs that require you to be a US Citizen. For more information, visit immigrationvision.com. “
