The Wright Muir Law Firm
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In order to qualify for citizenship in the United States, applicants must meet the following requirements:
(1) the applicant must be admitted to permanent resident status;
(2) the applicant must have a continuous residence in the United States for a minimum period (normally five years);
(3) the applicant must be residing in the state of application for a minimum period of three months;
(4) the applicant must have been physically present in the United States for a minimum period (at least half the period of required continuous residence);
(5) the applicant must have the ability to read, write and speak ordinary English;
(6) the applicant must have knowledge of U.S. history and government;
(7) the applicant must have good moral character;
(8) the applicant must have continuous residence in the U.S. from the date of filing the naturalization application until actual admission to citizenship;
(9) the applicant must have attained 18 years of age at the time of filing for naturalization (subject to certain exceptions);
(10) the applicant must be attached to the principles of the U.S. Constitution.
At times, individuals who are U.S. citizens, by birth or naturalization, must file applications for citizenship documents on behalf of their foreign-born children. Legislation passed in 2000, for example, grants U.S. citizenship to certain foreign-born children of U.S. citizens (including adopted children) when they enter the United States as permanent residents. Furthermore, some foreign-born children of U.S. citizens residing abroad are eligible for a process known as expedited naturalization.
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Phone: 954.318.7220
Fax: 954.318.7223
Jamaica: 876.621.2828
Consultation appointments:
To consult with an attorney, please schedule an appointment. Contact us at
(954) 318-7220
or by email at info@wrightmuir.com
Consultations may cost up to $150.00, however, most consultations are FREE.
Note: whenever consultation fees are collected, that amount is always deducted from the total case fees if you decide to retain an attorney at the law firm.
Filing for U.S. Citizenship requires submitting the N-400 Application and making a payment to the United States Citizenship and Services Office of $675.00.
Our South Florida immigration law firm, in Broward County, will assist you in all immigration matters and through the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship.
The only way to assure you will always have the right to legally reside in the US is to naturalize. Permanent residents are unfortunately continuously subject to the risk of losing their permanent residence (green cards) if they spend extensive periods of time abroad. In the years following 9/11, this problem has worsened as an alarming number of permanent residents have lost permanent residence because they were determined by port of entry officers as having abandoned their permanent residency in the US. Moreover, if one is ever convicted of a crime – even if it is not a serious crime – they are presented with the risk of being deported. But upon becoming a U.S. citizen, generally (with some unique exceptions) your citizenship is protected even if you are convicted of a crime. Lastly, US citizens receive priority treatment when it comes to bringing in family members. Citizens over 21 years of age can sponsor family members without waiting for a visa to become available; the same also applies spouses of US citizens and minor children of US citizens. US citizens can also sponsor adult children and siblings, though the waits in these categories can be a few to several years. Green card holders, on the other hand, cannot sponsor parents or siblings. And the wait to bring in children and spouses are much longer permanent residents than for citizens.
