People in Florida who are immigrants and would like to be naturalized American citizens often worry about many different factors in their efforts to receive naturalization. These ancillary issues are important, but should not supersede the basics to becoming a U.S. citizen. These include the initial requirements for naturalization and the naturalization test.
To be eligible for naturalization, the person is required to be a minimum of 18 at the time he or she files the form to apply – Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. He or she must be a permanent resident and have lived in the U.S. for a minimum of five years. The person must show the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that he or she lived in the state or the USCIS district of application for a minimum of three months. Residence must have been continuous for a minimum of five years immediately prior to the date of filing the above-listed form. The person must show that he or she has been physically present in the U.S. for a minimum of 30 months of the prior five years before filing the form. He or she must be able to read, speak and write basic English. The person must be considered of “good moral character.” And there must be a demonstration of being attached to the principles within the Constitution of the United States.
For the test, questions will be asked of the applicant by a USCIS Officer about the form and the person’s background. Then there will be an English and civics test to decide whether there should be a waiver or exemption. The following are part of the test process: a speaking test to see if the person can speak English sufficiently; a reading test with one of three sentences read aloud to show an ability for reading in English; a writing test in which the applicant will write one of three sentences correctly; and the civics test of 100 questions of which the person will have to answer 10 – to pass, the person must answer six correctly.
Forgetting the basics is a mistake that many people seeking citizenship make. It can be a waste of time, energy and money to ignore these basics. When there is an issue or concerns about the naturalization process or anything else related to becoming a U.S. citizen, having help from a legal professional experienced with all aspects of the process is imperative.
Source: uscis.gov, “Naturalization Information,” accessed on June 18, 2017
