How to become a U.S. citizen?
Naturalization is the process through which an immigrant, to the United States of America, can become a U.S. citizen. Only certain immigrants are eligible: those who either have been green card holders, (permanent residents) for 3–5 years or meet various military service requirements.
I finally got my Citizenship in 2023. I now have dual citizenship, Canadian and American. I’m really happy that I am finally able to call myself a U.S citizen. While it is a hard, long and expensive process, it is absolutely worth it, to get that peace of mind, of not having to worry about being deported, for any reasons. It is also permanent, unlike a green card, that you have to renew every 10 years. I did not want to go through the hassle, of having to renew my green card.
I got my citizenship in Anchorage, Alaska. My lawyer messed up my papers before i finally got it. He managed to straighten things out, do the right thing, offer to resubmit my paperwork, free of charge. Although it was difficult the second time, to gather everything I needed, because we had moved. I lost my papers, between moving, I was able after 5 years of waiting, to get it!
I could have gotten my green card, Citizenship a lot faster, but of course, we had problems with the offices losing my papers, the lawyer not checking up on them, a lack of money to pay the fees. It seems we were just very unlucky, and that there was always something, to keep me from moving forward, with problems here and there. I didn’t give up. It really is not as easy as you might think, honestly. One doesn’t become a USA citizen just like that. There are requirements, information and money needed, as well as a sponsor.
I got my green card about 10 years ago, but I always knew I wanted to get my citizenship. Just having to renew my green card every 10 years and go through all the process of interview, fingerprints etc, I decided I just wanted to get my citizenship instead. Now I can also vote, get my American passport, which is a very nice thing, especially if you travel a lot. I still have family back in Canada that i go visit from time to time. Needless to say, that being a citizen from both countries make, going through the country borders, much easier and a faster process.
Green Card
First of all, you need to get your green card, before you can even consider citizenship. On average, it takes about two years, for a green card to become available, and three years total, to get permanent resident status. It may take longer for citizens of Mexico, China, India, and the Philippines, because they have a much higher volume of green card applicants annually. Being Canadian, it took me approximately 2 years, including the Interview.
We hired a very nice, competent lawyer, Mr Benjamin Wang, from Eugene, Oregon. He was present during my Interview, as well as my husband. Mr Wang was very professional, to the point, and made things go very smoothly. Getting a lawyer will save you a lot of time, cost and headache.
I know not everyone can afford a lawyer, but you might avoid spending less, doing so. You also don’t want to mess up your application, and have to redo it all over again… That means more money, more time spent. There are places which will work with you, to help you get everything you need together, at a low cost. You just have to look around and see if it is an option, where you live.
What are 3 ways to obtain a green card
- Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants.
- Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants.
- Green Card for an Immediate Relative of a U.S. Citizen.
Someone else, usually must file the petition for you (often referred to as sponsoring or petitioning for you), although you may be eligible to file for yourself, in some cases. We hired a lawyer, just to make sure things went smoothly, and that no mistakes were made, to delay the process. It had actually taken us several years just to get to that point, because of bad luck, lack of employment, from my sponsor, lack of money etc. Your sponsor must have a job, in order to be able to “Support” you financially, since you would not be able to work, unless you have a work visa.
Most people who apply for a Green Card, will need to complete at least two forms :
– An immigrant petition form I-130
– Green Card application (Form I-485)
The government filing fees for getting a family-based green card is $1760, for an applicant living in the United States, or $1200 for an applicant living outside the United States. It cost us around 1800$ for filing fees, plus a total of approximately 2100$ for a lawyer. So around 4000$ total. It isn’t cheap to get a green card, but the benefits of having one, are just worth it so much more, than being in the country illegally.
The worst moment of me applying for my green card, was not being able to leave the United States, while I was applying for it. I was risking not being able to come back in right away. That would just create delay and problems, since I was already here anyway, it was a lot easier that way.
Our life was very unstable with my husband, he did not have a stable job, so I went back to my hometown a few times because of it, in order for him to straighten his life, and be able to support us, until I could get my green card. I obviously could not work without one. I did not have a degree, so I couldn’t just get a job like that, without a SSN. I just wanted to do everything right and legally. I was also not able to drive, because I could not get a driving license in Oregon, without a green card, at that time.
A few years later when we moved back to Laramie, Wyoming, we started the process of getting my citizenship. Unfortunately we did not get the same lawyer, because our previous one worked in Oregon. This one was working in Laramie and I asked him several times, if things would go smooth, without a hitch, and hoped there would be no errors, because we had been waiting so long. It was costing a lot of time and money. He assured me that things would go smooth and there shouldn’t be any problems, that he was doing immigration papers with other people, on a regular basis.
Well we filed the paperwork and of course, after 2 years of waiting, problems with my application came up. I started nagging him, telling him that I thought it wasn’t normal that it took so long for the process. He kept telling me that it was normal, that Denver, Colorado, where the immigration place was located for the interview, received a huge amount of requests, and of course blamed Covid for the wait. So I decided to just not bother him anymore. Well after 4 years of nothing, he finally told me that we would have to restart the application, all over again because, somehow my papers got lost.
He at least offered to redo the process for free, with us only paying another 800$ for the filing fees, which you know, was not easy because, we lived on a budget. So after another 3 years, I finally got my citizenship! In total, it took us up to almost 12 years to get my citizenship, because of paperwork error.
Citizenship
There are 4 ways to get your citizenship.
Naturalization
Marriage
Through family
Military
A lot of people get theirs through the military and marriage.
The test before my interview for citizenship, made me nervous but if you study, it actually goes really well. My husband would help me, by asking me the questions, over and over again, until I memorized almost everything. Then my interview was done and I was accepted, within a second of leaving the office !
The civics test is an oral test and the USCIS Officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test. On the naturalization test, some answers may change because of elections or appointments. There will be questions about American History, Geography and the current appointed leader of your state, country etc.
This site is the place to practice for the test.
Take the test Here
During the English test, you must demonstrate an understanding of the English language, including the ability to read, write, and speak basic English. I was able to pass the speaking part easily. I have been fluent in English, for a while now. The writing test was really easy as well. He asked me to write a sentence on a writing pad, that was pretty easy too !
It’s easy and straightforward. I was given a date for my ceremony, that was to happen within the next 2 months. They have to gather enough people to fill up places. You will have to dress appropriately for the ceremony. I was nervous at first, but people are very helpful and very friendly with you. I was assigned a place to sit in the auditorium, among other future citizens. You can not sit with your family or friends, they will be assigned seats apart from the future citizens. The ceremony lasted about an hour. There is a speech, then everyone presents themselves up on the stages et voila !
Sometimes things don’t always go how we want, especially when it involves the government, it can be a long, tedious, expensive process but I assure you, do not give up, it is well worth it in the end. When you finally get that certificate, attesting that you are a citizen of the United States! I congratulate everyone else who has been through this process, as well!
