The path from green card to U.S. citizenship can be a winding one -- and running into bureaucratic hassles is inevitable. With Becoming a U.S. Citizen, you can get the job done, step by step. Find out how to: make sure that you are eligible (and not risking deportation) use special exceptions for disabled persons, military personnel, spouses of citizens and others prepare the application forms and documents study for the citizenship exam have a successful interview with an INS official deal with delays, lost applications or other complications enjoy your new status as a U.S. citizen help family members immigrate Becoming a U.S. Citizen covers topics that most other guides don't, helping you avoid trouble spots. You may even be able to take advantage of special rules that allow some applicants to apply early, take the exam in their own language and more. The book provides forms with line-by-line instructions to fill them out, plus handy checklists that help you organize the application and interview materials.

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Introduction Many people spend their entire lives in the United States without ever trading in their green cards for citizenship -- and their friends probably never know it. Their reasons vary: some of these long-time permanent residents want to show their loyalty to their native country, some are worried that they'll fail the citizenship exam and some just never get around to applying.

For many green-card holders, however, the advantages of U.S. citizenship -- for example, security from deportation, freedom of travel and eligibility for public benefits -- far outweigh the drawbacks. And as we'll see, citizenship offers some refuge from political decisions that whittle away at green-card rights.

In this chapter we'll discuss the advantages and disadvantages of applying for and obtaining U.S. citizenship. By reading this, you'll come to better understand your rights as a permanent resident and how secure or insecure your current status is. We'll also try to dispel some dual citizenship myths. In Section A, we detail potential disadvantages of applying for citizenship; in Section B, we discuss the advantages.

You should read this chapter even if you are sure you want to apply for U.S. citizenship. Focus in particular on Section A1, where we explain how applying for U.S. citizenship can lead to your deportation either if your original green card application should not have been approved or if you've committed acts since receiving your green card that make you deportable.

The Disadvantages of Applying for Citizenship
We'll start with the negative aspects of applying for and receiving U.S. citizenship -- but not because they outweigh the positive aspects. We simply want you to fully appreciate the risks and possible pitfalls of applying for or receiving U.S. citizenship. These include:

if you got your green card fraudulently or have since become deportable, applying for citizenship may bring you to the INS's attention and result in your deportation (see Section A1)
your native country may not allow dual citizenship (see Section A2)
carrying a U.S. passport may be a security risk in some countries (see Section A3), and
you may not be allowed to serve your home country in times of conflict (see Section A4).
1. The Risk of Deportation
If something happened in your past that makes you deportable, you should not apply for U.S. citizenship -- or at the very least you should talk to a lawyer before doing so. The citizenship process may uncover whatever it is you're hiding and send you directly into deportation proceedings. Perhaps your green card should never have been approved in the first place because you lied on the application, or maybe you've committed a crime that no one at the INS seems to have noticed yet. Either way, applying for citizenship gives the INS a chance to review your whole immigration history, from the time you entered the United States to the present. If something isn't quite right, you could find yourself fighting deportation in Immigration Court.

In this section, we look separately at the two most common types of problems:

a green card that shouldn't have been approved in the first place, and
a green card that the INS can take away because you've done something that violates its terms.
a. If Your Green Card Application Shouldn't Have Been Approved
The INS would be the first to admit that it makes mistakes, sometimes approving people for green cards who were not eligible for them......(more)....

 

I. Introduciton 1. Deciding Whether to Apply for Citizenship 2. Are You Eligible for U.S. Citizenship 3. Preparing and Submitting Your Application 4. Between Filing and Interview: Dealing With the Wait 5. Preparing for the English Exam 6. Preparing for the U.S. History and Government Exam 7. Overcoming Disability When Applying for Citizenship 8. The Interview 9. Denials, Appeals, and Repeat Interviews 10. Legal Help Beyond This Book. 11. After You Are Approved Glossary Appendices A. INS Discrict Office and Sub-Office Addresses B. INS Publications C. Tear-Out Immigration Forms Index

Attorney Ilona Bray Attorney Ilona Bray came to the practice of immigration law through her long interest and concern with international human rights issues. Before joining Nolo as legal editor in charge of immigration, she ran a solo law practice and worked for a number of nonprofit immigration agencies, including the International Institute of the East Bay and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. Ms. Bray was also an intern in the legal office at Amnesty International’s International Secretariat in London. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in philosophy from Bryn Mawr College, and her law degree and a Master’s degree in East Asian (Chinese) Studies from the University of Washington.

 

Becoming a U.S. Citizen by Ilona Bray
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