U.S. Citizenship - Olinger Law
Description: Green card holders can apply for U.S. citizenship after five years, three years if married to a U.S. citizen. An applicant must prove good moral character for at least the three- or five-year period, and meet certain continuous residency requirements. Benefits Choosing to become a U.S. citizen is a smart move for many permanent residents. … Read More »

# U.S. Citizenship

Green card holders can apply for U.S. citizenship after five years, three years if married to a U.S. citizen.

An applicant must prove good moral character for at least the three- or five-year period, and meet certain continuous residency requirements.

## Benefits

Choosing to become a U.S. citizen is a smart move for many permanent residents. The benefits include the ability to vote, to immigrate family to the U.S., to travel with a U.S. passport, and insulation from future immigration consequences.

### Detailed information

The citizenship application form, now 21-pages, demands a detailed accounting of your life-up-to-now (marriages, jobs, addresses, children, travel, fraud, crimes, organization membership) and a commitment to future behavior.

### English Language Skill

The citizenship interview includes a two-sentence reading and writing test to prove English-language literacy, in most cases. There are exceptions for people older than 50 or 55, depending upon a combination of age and length of time as a permanent resident.

### Civics Knowledge

The citizenship interview requires passing a U.S. history and government test. Applicants are asked randomly selected questions and are given ten chances to answer six correctly. Self-study and self-testing are available through USCIS and the Smithsonian Institution.

### Disability

A person with a physical or developmental disability or a mental impairment is eligible to apply for an exception to the English and civics requirements.

## Risk Factors

### Criminal conduct

No matter how minor the offense, or however favorably it concluded, immigration takes crimes seriously. A criminal case may derail naturalization and lead to deportation. Immigration demands certified copies of your complete records, including proof where cases were sealed or expunged.

### Divorce from the spouse through whom you got your green card

Clients ask about this. It’s by no means a deal-breaker. Depending on the brevity of the marriage, and the evidence submitted when removing conditions on your residence (if that was applicable) immigration may think twice, and look twice, to see if there was marriage fraud evidence previously overlooked.

### Delinquent Income Taxes or Child Support

To prove good moral character you must have proof of income tax filings for at least the past three or five years, no past due taxes owed (or proof of payment arrangement) and have no child-support arrears.

### U.S. absences

Excessive trips out of the U.S., and an extended stay out of the U.S. may have immigration and naturalization consequences.

### Selective Service

Men between the ages of 18-26 must register and provide proof they did.

Attorney Lynn S. Olinger has successfully dealt with all of these obstacles and assisted clients with one or more of these risks become U.S. citizens.