How does one become a citizen of the United States?
• Any person born in one of the 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands is a citizen at birth, regardless of parents’ immigration status. • A person born in another country to two US citizens is also a citizen at birth. • A person born in another country to one US citizen and one non-citizen may or may not be a US citizen—this is a complicated area of immigration law, and anyone who meets this description should meet with an experienced immigration attorney to find out their citizenship status. • Lawful permanent residents may also apply to become citizens after a certain number of years. The process of moving from lawful permanent resident to citizen is called Naturalization. • Lawful permanent residents who gained their status through marriage to a US citizen may apply for naturalization 3 years after being granted lawful permanent residence.
Any person born in one of the 50 United States, or in Guam, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands is a citizen at birth, no matter what her or his parents’ immigration status is. A person born in another country to two U.S. citizen parents is also a citizen at birth. A person born in another country to one U.S. citizen and one non-citizen parent may or may not be a U.S. citizen. This is a complicated area of immigration law, and anyone who meets this description should speak with an experienced immigration advocate to find out whether or not s/he is a U.S. citizen. Lawful permanent residents may also apply to become citizens after a certain number of years; the process of moving from lawful permanent resident to citizen is called “naturalization.” Lawful permanent residents who gained their status through marriage to a U.S. citizen may apply to naturalize three years after being granted lawful permanent residence.
