EIGHT REQUIREMENTS YOU MUST SATISFY TO BE NATURALIZED

Once you have waited the required minimum three or five years after becoming a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), you are then faced with a set of eight requirements that you must satisfy in order to be naturalized, they are:

• You are at least 18 years of age.

• During the three- or five-year waiting period before applying to be naturalized, you have not taken any extended vacations outside the United States that lasted for six months or longer.

• You are required to have been at least a three-month resident of whatever state you are applying for naturalization.

• You are required to have “ good moral character ” in the view of the United States government. Certain criminal charges and activity can affect your moral character and possibly preclude you from being able to gain citizenship through naturalization.

• You are expected to pass a test that is broken into two parts: 1) an English language test which examines your ability to speak, read, and write the English language, and 2) a civics test which examines your knowledge of United States history and government.

• You are expected to pledge to serve in any branch of the United States military or perform civilian duties if called upon by the United States government.

•  If you are a male who is between the ages of 18 and 25 years of age who has lived in the United States, then you are required to register with the Selective Service System.

• You are expected to pledge to defend the United States Constitution.

Note: If you are applying based a on specific qualifying United States military service, then you may not need to wait in order to eligible for naturalization.

AGE AND DISABILITY EXCEPTIONS TO EXAM REQUIREMENTS

You may be exempt from taking the English language test portion of the two-part exam administered during the naturalization process based on your age and length of time you have been a lawful permanent resident (green card holder). Any lawful permanent resident who is 50 years of age or older and has been a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) for longer than 20 years is exempt from taking the English language test portion of the two-part naturalization exam. Any lawful permanent resident (green card holder) who is 55 years or older and has been a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) for at longer than 15 years is exempt from taking the English language test portion of the two-part naturalization exam.  Applicants who are 65 years of age or older are only expected to prepare for 20 of the typical 100 questions asked during the administration of the civics test. Only 10 questions will be asked to these applicants, and they only need to answer six questions correctly to pass. You may be exempt from both parts of the two-part naturalization exam if you have medical disabilities that are expected to last for at least a year. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility to be exempt from test requirements for naturalization, then it is important to that you speak to an experienced immigration and naturalization attorney as soon as possible.

MILITARY SERVICE EXCEPTIONS

There are a few age and residency exemptions for applicants who have served in any branch of the United States military during both peacetime and wartime, they are as follows:

• If you are an applicant who is applying for naturalization and has at least one year of peacetime military service in any branch of the United States military, then the vacation and residency requirements listed in #2 and #3 above are waived.

• If you are an applicant who is applying for naturalization and has any period of wartime military service in any branch of the United States military, then the age, vacation, and residency requirements listed in #1, #2, and #3 above are waived.



• Your eligibility under the “good moral character” requirement listed in #4 above can be relaxed depending on whether you served in any branch of the United States military during peacetime or wartime.

Note: You must have never deserted from the United States military after enlistment in order to be eligible for naturalization.

WHY CHOOSE YOU ARE HOME TO HELP YOU BECOME A

NATURALIZED CITIZEN?

You Are Home is a team of immigration lawyers whose mission is to help you obtain your United States citizenship while answering your questions and concerns along the way. Our main goal at You Are Home is to make your naturalization process as simple and pain free as possible. As a You Are Home client, you will be paired with an experienced immigration attorney who will help you identify any potential issues with your case, while also helping guide you through each step together as a team in order to help you best achieve success. Our immigration attorneys are experienced not only in helping people file immigration paperwork and prepare for their naturalization interviews; they have also successfully defended clients facing detention and deportation in immigration court. When you have You Are Home on your side, you will be prepared for whatever legal obstacles that could appear in the way of obtaining your United States citizenship.

SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION WITH YOU ARE HOME TODAY!

You Are Home is proud to offer consultations with our immigration attorneys via phone or videoconference via Zoom. If you would like to schedule a consultation with one of our  experienced immigration attorneys to answer your questions and review your documents, you may do so here. If you decide to hire You Are Home to help you further with your naturalization case or any other immigration legal service that we offer, then we will credit your consultation fee towards the cost of those services. Don’t go it alone, let the experienced attorneys at You Are Home help you officially make the United States your (new) home country.