How long before green card holder can apply for citizenship

Table of Contents Show

Qualifications to Become a U.S. Citizen
Residency Requirements
Eligibility Qualifications
Establishing Eligibility to File Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
U.S. Citizenship Requirements for 3-Year Married Permanent Resident
Establishing Eligibility to File Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
An applicant for naturalization after three years of marriage to a U.S. citizen must meet the following citizenship requirements:
Alternative Paths to Citizenship
Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
How CitizenPath Helps You Apply for Naturalization
Can I apply for U.S. citizenship after 2 years of green card?
How long does it take to convert green card to citizenship?
How long must a legal immigrant wait before seeking to become a U.S. citizen?
Can I apply for citizenship after 4 years of green card?

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a section of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is responsible for the qualifications and determination of eligibility to become a naturalized as a U.S. citizen. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is the federal law that defines U.S. immigration policy and citizenship and naturalization eligibility. If you are a U.S. legal permanent resident (LPR) – you have a green card – and you want to become a citizen, you cannot apply for U.S. citizenship to become naturalized until you have lived in the United States for at least five years as a legal permanent resident.

If you are married to a U.S. citizen that statutory as a legal permanent resident may be reduced to three years. In order for this exception to apply, you must be a legal permanent resident that was married to a U.S. citizen during that three-year period.

If you are a conditional resident, not a permanent resident, due to a recent marriage to a U.S. citizen or through a business investor visa, your two years as a conditional resident count towards your total time as a permanent residence. Generally, you must remove your conditions prior to USCIS granting your naturalization application.

Qualifications to Become a U.S. Citizen

In addition to being a legal permanent resident for 5 years, to become a naturalized American citizen you must meet the following requirements.

Residency Requirements

• You must have lived in the state or USCIS district where you will be applying for citizenship for at least 3 months.
• You must prove continuous residence in the U.S. for the previous 5 years.
• You must have been physically present in the U.S. for at least 30 months out of those five years.

Eligibility Qualifications

• Applicants must be able to speak, read, and write the English language at a basic level, and
• Applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and government by taking a naturalization test.
• Applicants must be of good moral character and support the beliefs and values expressed in the U.S. Constitution.

There are other exceptions to the residency requirements and other citizenship qualifications; an experienced immigration and naturalization lawyer can assess your case and provide personal advice or assistance with the application process.

The attorneys at Godoy Law Office work with you to evaluate your immigration status and guide you in your journey to becoming a US citizen. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office online.

Establishing Eligibility to File Form N-400, Application for Naturalization

As a permanent resident who is married to a U.S. citizen, you may be eligible for naturalization after just three years. This is a significant benefit (as it normally requires five years as a permanent resident before applying for citizenship).

To qualify, you must have lived in the U.S. continuously for the three years immediately preceding the date you file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. You must be married to a citizen the entire time; and your spouse must have been a U.S. citizen for the entire time. The Immigration and Nationality Act (Section 319(a)) details all of the citizenship requirements for a 3-year permanent resident married to a U.S. citizen. We break it down in simple terms here.

U.S. Citizenship Requirements for 3-Year Married Permanent Resident

Establishing Eligibility to File Form N-400, Application for Naturalization

An applicant for naturalization after three years of marriage to a U.S. citizen must meet the following citizenship requirements:

Alternative Paths to Citizenship

5-Year Permanent Resident

If you've been a permanent resident for at least five years, you may be eligible to naturalize now.

U.S. Armed Forces

If you've served at least one year in the U.S. Armed Forces, you may be eligible to naturalize now.

Form N-400, Application for Naturalization

Lawful permanent residents use Form N-400, (Application for Naturalization) to apply for U.S. citizenship. The form starts a review process of your entire immigration history. Each year, USCIS rejects or denies thousands of N-400 applications that don't satisfy the citizenship requirements for a 3-year permanent resident married to a U.S. citizen. Therefore, it's important to get it right.

last year

0,413

N-400 forms were filed*

approximately

0,356

applications were rejected*

and another

0,779

got denied*

How CitizenPath Helps You Apply for Naturalization

CitizenPath's self-directed service makes preparing USCIS forms easy. Designed by lawyers, our platform will help you eliminate the common errors that create delays, rejections and even denials. The low-cost service also provides alerts if you answer a question in a way that might be a problem. We'll make sure you meet all the citizenship requirements before applying. Most people can prepare the naturalization package within a couple of hours.

The online service is a powerful, do-it-yourself tool that puts you in control. And we've got your back -- CitizenPath provides live customer support and guarantees that USCIS will approve your application.

Can I apply for U.S. citizenship after 2 years of green card?

To become a U.S. citizen, you must: Have had a Permanent Resident (Green) Card for at least five years, or for at least three years if you're filing as the spouse of a U.S. citizen.

How long does it take to convert green card to citizenship?

All green card holders, as long as they meet key conditions, can apply for U.S. citizenship after five years (known as the “five-year rule”) — but those with a U.S. spouse and a green card through marriage can apply after only three years (known as the “three-year rule”).

How long must a legal immigrant wait before seeking to become a U.S. citizen?

To apply for U.S. citizenship, you must have physically lived in the United States for at least half of five years (more specifically, 913 days, or roughly 2.5 years) or at least half of three years (more specifically, 548 days, or a little over 1.5 years) if you're married to a U.S. citizen.

Can I apply for citizenship after 4 years of green card?

Continuous Residence Requirement. An applicant for naturalization under the general provision must have resided continuously in the United States after his or her lawful permanent resident (LPR) admission for at least 5 years prior to filing the naturalization application and up to the time of naturalization.