There are two ways in which an individual can become a US citizen. One
is by birth, and the other is by naturalization. You may become a US
citizen by naturalization by satisfying the following statutory
eligibility requirements.
How to Qualify:
-
You are at least 18 years of age when you file your application for
naturalization,
- You are a lawful permanent resident of the US,
-
You have resided in the US as a permanent resident for a continuous
period of 5 years immediately before filing your application (If you
are married to a US citizen, you have resided in the US for a
continuous period of 3 years),
-
You have been physically present in the US for at least 30 months of
the 5 years before filing your application (If you are married to a
US citizen, you have been physically present in the US for 18 months
of the 3 years),
-
You have resided in the state or district where the application is
filed for at least 3 months immediately before filing your
application,
-
You are proficient in English in that you can read, write, and speak
basic English,
-
You have a fundamental knowledge of the history and government of
the US,
- You are a person of good moral character, and
-
You must support the Constitution of the US and pledge allegiance to
the US.
You may request an interview in your native language rather than
English if:
-
You are older than 50 and have resided in the US for at least 20
years as a permanent resident when you file your application or
-
You are older than 55 and have resided in the US for at least 15
years as a permanent resident when you file your application.
Additionally, if you are older than 65 and have resided in the US for
at least 20 years as a permanent resident, your civics test questions
will come from a list of only 20 instead of the standard 100
questions.