Form N-400 is used to apply for
US citizenship through the
naturalization
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
process.
Lawful permanent residents (also known as green card holders) of the United States, who meet the eligibility requirements, can file N-400 form to request citizenship. In the United States, 8.8 million Lawful Permanent Residents are eligible to naturalize.
Becoming an American citizen gives the same rights and privileges of citizenship as
natural born American citizens, except one: naturalized U.S. citizens are not eligible for the Office of the President or Vice President of the United States.
US citizenship eligibility requirements
To be able to apply for citizenship through naturalization, you have to meet the following requirements. You must:
* Be 18 years of age or above.
* Be a lawful permanent resident for 5 years (3 years if married to a US citizen).
* Have maintained continuous residence during the past 5 years (3 years if married to a US citizen).
* Have maintained physical presence during the past 5 years (3 years if married to a US citizen).
* Have good moral character.
* Have basic knowledge of
English.
* Have basic knowledge of
US government
The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States.
The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, execut ...
and
history
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
.
* Be willing to take the
Oath of Allegiance
An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to a monarch or a country. In modern republics, oaths are sworn to the country in general, or to the country's constitution. For ...
.
Content
The N-400 form is a series of questions about eligibility, personal information, marital history, children, criminal activities and the oath of allegiance to the United States. Many private sector online services are available to candidates for naturalization to help them complete the form. Sometimes a lawyer's help is required.
Filing the form costs $640 along with an $85 bio-metric fee for a total of $725, where applicable. Exceptions can be seen on the federal website.
After filing the form, the applicant undergoes an interview process with the
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and Immigration to the United States, immigration system.
History
...
(USCIS). The USCIS interview includes an English and civics test. The English test has three components: reading, writing, and speaking. The civics test covers important U.S. history and government topics.
References
United States government forms
Citizenship of the United States
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