| Feb 14, 2022 | Empire Immigration Law Blog, Naturalization
Are you applying for permanent residency and have questions about naturalization? Check out these 5 common naturalization questions. Call us!
1) Do I Need a Lawyer to Apply for US Citizenship?
The other day, our office received a phone call from a potential client who was concerned about whether or not he needed to hire an attorney to apply for citizenship. Technically, the answer is no; however, that’s a really bad idea. The reason why is that immigration law is very complicated. Mistakes can be made. They’re very easy to make.
Mistakes will lead to delays and sometimes even denials. If your naturalization case is denied, this will cause you to lose your government filing fee and also could place you in removal proceedings. For that reason, doing it alone is a very bad idea. Yes, you should hire an attorney to apply for citizenship. If you have any questions, please give us a call.
2) How Can I Become a US Citizen?
We received a phone call a few days ago from a potential client. She had questions about whether or not she was eligible to naturalize to become a US citizen. She asked what the process was. First of all, you need to be over the age of 18. Second, you need to be a lawful permanent resident for a minimum of five years, or in the case of a lawful permanent resident who is married to a US citizen, you have to be a permanent resident for a minimum of three years.
There are also physical presence requirements and residency requirements inside the United States. In addition, you also have to be a person of good moral character. If you meet all these requirements, there are still additional requirements that you have to meet; however, these are the basic requirements. If you have any other questions about naturalization or any other immigration matters, please give us a call.
3) Because my Green Card allows me to travel between the United States and my home country, can I live in both places?
We receive a lot of phone calls from lawful permanent residents who are living between the United States and in their home countries, but they want to apply for naturalization here in the United States. They ask, “Can I live in both countries when I apply for naturalization?” The answer is no. We do not recommend applying for naturalization if you are living between both countries. Here’s why. The reason why is because there are physical presence requirements here in the United States. You also must be residing in the United States when you apply for naturalization and have resided in the United States for a minimum of five years before you apply for naturalization. In addition, if you spend a significant amount of time outside of the United States, you actually risk a finding of abandonment of your lawful permanent residence when you come back to the United States. This could place you in removal proceedings. That would be a big problem. If you have any questions about naturalization or any other immigration matters, please give us a call.
4) What happens if my naturalization application is denied?
We were talking with a potential client the other day who was very concerned about the application process. What we like to do is prepare our clients for all of the potential possibilities. What happens if your naturalization application is denied?In some cases, what you could do is you can actually appeal this denial. In other cases, what you could do is you can go back, try to fix the reasons why you were denied, and then reapply. There are no limits on the amount of times that you can apply for naturalization. If you have any questions about naturalization or any other immigration matters, please give us a call.
5) What do I submit with the N-400 application?
Clients often ask what happens after a naturalization application is approved. In most cases, what’s going to happen is you will receive an appointment letter in the mail. This appointment will tell you to attend an oath ceremony.At that oath ceremony, you, of course, will take the oath. Then you will receive the Certificate of Naturalization right then and there. In some rare cases, however, what could happen is you will take the oath right after the interview and you will receive the Certificate of Naturalization right then and there. If you have any questions about naturalization or any other immigration matters, please give us a call.
Are you applying for permanent residency for a family member and have questions about naturalization? After checking out these 5 common naturalization questions, contact our experienced New York naturalization lawyer today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
