Naturalization
Individuals attempting to become
U.S. citizens through naturalization often believe that there are only a few requirements. This may be true in many instances, but an experienced
Pasco County Immigration attorney can make sure that you don't have something in your background that causes your application to be denied. For example, most people know that before becoming a naturalized citizen, you must first be eighteen years of age and a lawful permanent resident (
green card holder) of the U.S. Next, you must have continuously resided in the U.S. for the preceding five years. They also know that if they obtained their green card through marriage to a U.S. Citizen, this length of time is reduced to three years. The problems tend to arise in several circumstances. What if you traveled back to your home country for a period of time on your green card, then returned to the U.S.?
Does your period of "continuous residency" still count toward the five years? This depends on how long you left the country for. If it was less than six months, you will not break the "continuous residency" requirement. But if it was for over six months, or over a year, you will have to prove to USCIS that you did not abandon your residency. Or what if you committed a
crime during the past five years and were convicted? What if you were
convicted of a crime ten years ago, but not during the past five years? Will these
convictions cause your application for citizenship to be denied? Is it possible that applying for citizenship through naturalization and disclosing these convictions (which will be required) will trigger
deportation proceedings? The answer to these questions depends completely on the type of offense you committed, when you committed it, and whether you were actually convicted for immigration purposes.
There are other requirements that also must be met, and exceptions that apply, when an individual submits their application to become a U.S. Citizen through naturalization. This is why it is important to hire an experienced
Pasco County immigration attorney, even if you believe that your application will be approved. You will save time, money and the aggravation of having your application denied.
