A boy holds an American flag during the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington
The debate over immigration reform and eventual citizenship is a
heated one, especially on the campaign trail. And this time around is no
different.
But how does someone become a U.S. citizen?
The first step for anyone coming to America is to get permanent resident status or a green card (Click here).
That can happen through sponsorship by a spouse, family member or
employer, by getting asylum or refugee status, or through a couple of
other ways like the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (Click here).
That’s run by the State Department, which randomly selects about 50,000
individuals a year to receive immigrant visas from countries with low
immigration rates to the U.S.
Permanent residents have the right to live and work in the United
States; they can travel to and from the country and can petition for
other family members to receive green card status. But only a citizen
has the right to vote or run for office, although there are a few
exceptions to both of these in certain jurisdictions. Citizens also no
longer live with the threat of deportation.
The path to citizenship generally happens in two ways: by birth (a
person is born in the U.S. or born overseas to a U.S. citizen) or
through the process called naturalization.
In general, immigrants are eligible to apply for naturalization if
they’ve been a permanent resident for five years, are married to a U.S.
citizen and have been a permanent resident for three years, or have
served in the military.
If eligible, applicants send in the proper forms to the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services. From there, they get fingerprinted
for background testing and then have an in-person interview, where they
will be tested on their ability to speak and understand English as well
as their knowledge of civics — U.S. history and government.
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