A Guide on How to Obtain Citizenship in the US

A report by the Pew Hispanic Center, a research organization based in Washington, D.C., states that illegal immigrants account for about 5% of the American workforce. This is despite efforts undertaken by the American government to deport illegal immigrants. While it’s true that America is a nation of immigrants, it’s important that illegal immigrants are encouraged to obtain citizenship through the legal route.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services are responsible for immigration in the United States. The Bureau, processes applications and grants citizenship to applicants through a detailed process that includes an interview with USCIS officials.

To be eligible to obtain citizenship in the US, a candidate needs to spend at least five years as an LPR or a Legal Permanent Resident in the United States, during which the citizen should not take any trip abroad for longer than six months. The applicant should be above 18years of age and must be a person of sound moral character. If the applicant is married to a US citizen, the spouse is eligible to apply for citizenship within three years, if the couple has been married for three years.

Forms can be downloaded from the Bureau website or from the USCIS offices. Although the process seems simple and people might want to apply for citizenship on their own, an immigration attorney can provide immigration assistance by making the process uncomplicated and easy to understand. An attorney can also help with immigration by showing you how to avoid making mistakes in the application process. Even minor mistakes can be serious enough to slow down the immigration process. Immigration attorneys who work in Immigration law clinics also help applicants by reviewing their paperwork before it’s filed before the Bureau.

For those who don’t want to obtain citizenship, yet need to stay in the United States, can apply for a temporary work visa, a student work visa, an L1 visa, or a visitor visa. In order to obtain a temporary visa, it’s important to prove you intend to return back to your country of origin. You’ll need to establish that you have a permanent residence in your home country, and have no intention of abandoning it.

However, when applying for a non immigration visa, it’s important to be very clear about what you want because some visas require the applicant to reside outside the country for a certain amount of time before being granted re-admission. An immigration attorney at an Immigration law clinic can help you to understand the difference, and help you apply for the right visa.