This is the last blog as part of my U.S. immigration series. This blog will cover my transition from green card to U.S. citizenship. I will share what U.S. citizenship is, the benefits, my timeline, rules, and regulations, etc.
There are various ways to get U.S. citizenship, including the Diversity Visa lottery, employment-based green card path, family sponsorship, etc. In this blog, I will focus on the employment-based green card to U.S. citizenship since this is how I obtained my citizenship. P.S. I am not a lawyer, so please do not take my word as legal advice; I am sharing my experience navigating the process.
According to USCIS, U.S. naturalization is the process by which foreign-born individuals can become U.S. citizens. Here is the process overview. Given the naturalization process is straightforward, this is the only immigration process that I did myself, i.e., I didn’t consult any lawyer or my employer. I wanted to be a U.S. citizen, given the benefits this provides.
Advantages of being a U.S. citizen include :
- Being able to vote
- Being able to run for office
- No more need to file forms with USCIS on immigration status
- Traveling with a U.S. passport which is visa exempt for a lot of countries
- Ability to sponsor family members for immigration and automatic citizenship for children
- New employment opportunities, i.e., being able to work for the U.S. government
- Access to Government Assistance Programs, for example, applying for federal college assistance.
To qualify for U.S. naturalization, I met the following criteria:
- I had a green card for 4 yrs 9 months. Yes, you are supposed to have a green card for 5 yrs if you go through U.S. naturalization through an employer-sponsored green card. USCIS allows you to apply for U.S. naturalization at 4 yrs 9 months. I was ready to become a citizen and applied on the first day. I waited until past midnight to apply on the exact date of 4yrs 9 months 🙂
- Demonstrated good moral character, i.e., not breaking the rules and laws, not getting arrested, always paying taxes, etc.
- Being proficient in English
Steps I took to apply for U.S. naturalization :
- Met the U.S. naturalization criteria
- Created an account on uscis.com
- Submitted Form N-400, paying $725 for the naturalization filing fee.
- Attended the biometrics appointment; I brought my appointment letter, green card, and driver’s license.
- Passed the U.S. naturalization interview and test. The interview covers U.S. history and government topics, assesses English proficiency, etc.
- Did the Oath of Allegiance Ceremony
- Received the Naturalization certificate
After completing the biometrics appointment, I used the USCIS preparation book to prepare for the test. It has 100 questions, and one has to get 6 of the 10 questions correct. You do not get the rest of the questions if you get the first 6 right during the interview. Below is a picture of the book one gets after completing the biometrics appointment.
Source: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/preparing-naturalization-test-pocket-study-guide-1
In addition to reading the book and practicing questions, I listened to Spotify’s civics questions quizzes while running or driving to get more practice. Below is my U.S. citizenship timeline, which took 140 days :
Things to remember about the green card to naturalization process :
- Register for selective service if you get your green card between 18 and 25yrs. I got my green card after my 26th birthday, so I didn’t need to register for selective service. The immigration officer will ask you about this. If you didn’t register for selective service and got your green card between 18 and 25 yrs, you must have a reason, and this may affect your application.
- Check the status of your application on the uscis website for updates using the status tracker.
- You must not have taken any six months or longer trips outside the U.S. during your five-year period.
- You must be a resident of the state where you are applying for citizenship for at least three months.
- You must be willing to serve in the U.S. military or perform civilian service for the U.S. if called upon.
- You must be willing to defend the U.S. Constitution.
In conclusion, my journey from being an F-1 student to a U.S. citizen took 11 years 10 months, and 10 days. There were various curveballs throughout the process, and everything worked out. This significant milestone takes a really long time. There was a lot of luck along the way, i.e., getting the H-1 B lottery the first time, being from Zimbabwe, where there is no backlog pertaining to green card applications, and having a company that generously sponsored my immigration journey. If you are going through the immigration process with the goal of attaining U.S. citizenship, I wish you all the best. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, and I am happy to assist.
