Naturalization of Permanent Residents

America Citizenship > Naturalization of Permanent Residents

In order to become a naturalized US citizen, an alien must fulfill certain requirements. These requirements are discussed in detail below:

1. Lawful entry as Permanent Resident: The Alien has to be admitted to the US on a Permanent Status prior to becoming eligible for American citizenship. However, there is an exception to this rule for Aliens who have served the U.S. army during a time of war. In this case, the Alien is not required to become permanent resident before entry but should be legally in the U.S. at the time of enlistment.
2. Continuous Residence: Naturalization requires continuous residence in the U.S. for at least five years prior to filing a petition for naturalization. This requirement is shortened to three years for a spouse of citizens. The time spent in US is not considered "continuous" if the Alien stays out of the U.S. for more than six consecutive months. The Alien is able to file a naturalization petition three months before she/he completes the required continuous residence period. A spouse of a US citizen may file for an application for citizenship if he/she has resided continuously in the US for the 3 years immediately preceding the filing of the application for citizenship.
3. Three Months Residence immediately preceding the filing the Petition in the state in which the petition is filed: Since the naturalization petition may be filed three months before the completion of continuous residence requirement, the three-month state residence requirement is never a barrier to filing the citizenship application. However, the Alien must demonstrate that the state residence requirement has been met at the time of his/her interview if the citizenship application was filed earlier.
4. Physical Presence: Alien must be physically present in the U.S. for at least half of the period of continuous residence. This means that an Alien must be physically present for two and half years. An Alien who is a spouse of a US citizen must be physically present for at least one and half years. The Alien should keep a record of each and every trip outside the U.S., including records of departure and return dates. Sometimes a USCIS examiner may count the days of physical presence in order to determine whether the continuous residence requirement has been met.
5. Read, write, and speak English: The Alien must read, write and speak ordinary English in order to be eligible for naturalization. The USCIS examiner tests this ability when the Alien takes the examination for naturalization. The examiner decides about Alien’s ability to converse in English by his/her answers to normal questions. Reading and writing skills are tested through the Federal Textbook on Citizenship. Disabled people who are not capable of complying with this requirement due to physical or mental disabilities may be exempted from this requirement. People who are over fifty years of age, and have lived in the U.S. as lawful permanent residents for at least 20 years, and people who are over fifty-five years of age who have lived in the U.S. for a total of at least 15 years are not obligated to fulfill this requirement.
6. Knowledge of U.S. History & Understanding of Fundamentals of U.S. Government: To test this ability, the examiner asks questions about U.S. history and government at the time of interview. Normally, an Alien is asked around six to ten questions from a list of 100 questions. However, the number of questions may vary from district to district. Aliens who are exempted from the English education prerequisite are obligated to fulfill this requirement. However, they will be tested in the language of their choice. Individuals exempted from this requirement include people who are physically unable to comply and persons who are unable to comply due to developmental disability or mental impairment.
7. Good Moral Character and Attachment to the Principles of U.S. Constitution: All naturalization applicants must comply with this requirement, without exception. Aliens demonstrate good moral character during their five or three years of continuous residence. Aliens engaging in alien smuggling, prostitution or other criminal activities are not considered to be of a good moral character. If an Alien is on parole, probation or under a suspended sentence, naturalization will not be granted until the Alien completes parole, probation or the suspended sentence.
8. Continuous Residence naturalization: An Alien must be present in the United States from the day he files the petition for naturalization throughout the time he becomes admitted as a citizen. It should be noted that this continuous residency requirement is not the same as the requirement for physical presence in the US. The three-month residency requirement (see #3 above) and the physical presence requirement (see #4 above), must be met in addition to this requirement.
9. 18 years of age at the time of filing for Naturalization: An Alien must be 18 years of age at the time he/she files a petition for naturalization. There are some exceptions to this requirement for the children of the Aliens who can be naturalized with their parents.