Generally speaking, it takes approximately six months to a year after you file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

In this article, we’ll break down the prerequisites and steps it takes to become a U.S citizen.

Eligibility Requirements for Citizenship

Before you file your application, certain eligibility requirements must be met. You must be:

• At least 18 years of age;
• legal permanent resident (LPR), or a green card holder, and must have had it for a minimum of five years. If you are married to a US citizen, however, that requirement is reduced to three years.
• Have had continuous residence in the same state, or in the USCIS district with jurisdiction over your place of residence, for at least three months.
• You must be physically present in the US for 30 months preceding the filing of your application. If you are out of the country for more than six months, you could jeopardize your petition for citizenship;
• Must be an LPR with good, moral character. Certain crimes and abominable offenses could make an applicant ineligible for citizenship; and
• Have a basic command of the English language.

While these are the fundamental requirements, there are some exceptions to these. If an LPR is 50 years old and has resided in the US for 20 years, they are exempt. The same is true for 55-year-old LPRs with 15 years of US residence. If the LPR has an impairment that interferes with his or her ability to fulfill these requirements, they are exempt.

Foreign citizens in the US military and their immediate families may circumvent these requirements as well.

Filing for Citizenship

When the initial eligibility requirements are met, the applicant can file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in the jurisdiction where you reside. Two recent photos and any requested verifying documentation must accompany your application.

If there is no issue with eligibility, you will be contacted by USCIS for a biometrics appointment. This is where your photo will be taken, and you will be fingerprinted for a criminal background check.

If your background check comes back clean, and no additional information is needed, the USCIS will schedule you for a citizenship interview. This interview is important because the immigration officer interviewing you has the authority to accept or reject your application. They will go over the application and address any concerns that they have, or for which clarification is needed. If you pass this part, you are up next for the English and History exams. However, the exemptions listed above are extended to those same groups.

The good news regarding the exams is that you will have access to the USCIS’ study guide, beforehand, from which you will be tested on 10 of the 100 study questions. Out of those ten, six must be answered correctly. With respect to the English exam, you will read a sentence out loud, and also write one.

Approved for Citizenship

The last step in your journey to American citizenship is the naturalization ceremony. If your bid for citizenship has been successful to this point, you will be given a date to participate in the ceremony where you will exchange your Alien Registration Card for your Certificate of Naturalization, indicating you are an American citizen. You will take an Oath of Allegiance to the U.S. government and get full rights as a citizen of the United States.

Interested in becoming a Spanish citizen? Read ”How to Become a Spanish Citizen” to learn more.