Naturalization US Citizenship lawyer in Chicago Free Email or Phone Consultation

1. Attorney compiles information regarding naturalization candidate.
2. Attorney prepares N-400 form.
   1. If waiver required attorney also prepares this in advance.
3. N-400 is filed with documents required to prove eligibility for naturalization.
4. While waiting for the USCIS interview on the naturalization application the applicant should study for English and Civics exam (unless exempt from either or both of these requirements).
5. When the interview is scheduled the applicant and attorney will receive a notice.
6. Both the applicant and the attorney attend the applicant's interview.
   1. The USCIS will review the paperwork to make sure the applicant is eligible and administer the English and Civics examination (US citizenship test).
7. If the applicant is eligible for citizenship and passes the required examinations the USCIS officer will recommend the file for approval and a supervisor will review the recommendation.
8. If the applicant fails either of the required exams the applicant will be given another chance and another interview will be scheduled.
   1. Failing again will require the applicant to re file the naturalization application.
9. If denied for a different reason the applicant can file an appeal.
10. Once approved the applicant will be scheduled for an oath ceremony.
    1. Please note: The USCIS has to make a decision on the application within 120 days or the applicant can file a lawsuit in federal court to force a decision.

Naturalization

Exercising the option to become a US citizen is a decision that should be considered for any eligible person who plans to spend their life in the United States.

Permanent Residents (green card holders) have less legal protections than United States citizens do. The lives of Permanent Residents are far less stable than those of United States citizens as the rules Permanent Residents operate under are subject to change depending on the political climate. Permanent Residents can be removed (deported) from the United States for a variety of infractions that can be changed by Congress at any time. Many times life long residents of the United States are sent back to their countries of birth or citizenship for relatively minor infractions.

The requirements to become a US citizen vary depending on how a person gained their Permanent Residency. Generally, a person must wait approximately 3-5 years after they become Permanent Resident before the citizenship application may be filed.

An interview will be scheduled sometime after the application is filed. The interview may occur many months after the application is filed. Times vary depending on location.

Part of the interview process consists of taking an oral US civics exam and a basic English exam consisting of a written statement. Generally, these exams must be passed before US citizenship will be granted. However, depending on an applicants age and length of time present in the US, or certain medical conditions, these requirements may be waived.

The USCIS provides a set of sample civics questions that should be studied before the interview here.

If you are seeking a US citizenship naturalization lawyer in Chicago please contact our office.

US Immigration News & Commentary
News, information, and opinion.

Unfortunate bigotry and xenophobia from CNBC business writer. by justin
Posted on 3 Nov 2009 at 10:17am In an article titled “Marathon’s Headline Win Is Empty” CNBC business writer, Darren Rovell, claims that the winner, Meb Keflezighi, a naturalized citizen who was born in Eritrea but has been in the US since he was 12 is a “ringer” so running fans shouldn’t be all that excited that an American won the NY [...]

USCIS loses tens of thousands of files by justin
Posted on 29 Nov 2006 at 4:24pm The USCIS may not be the best organized government agency on the planet. There was a bit of a scandal about the intentional destruction of files that were backlogged if I recall correctly. Now it’s been discovered that they lost over 100000 files of naturalization applicants. I wonder how many non-natz cases they’ve lost. [...]

Lawful Permanent Residents ? Green card holders. Maps of geographic distribut... by justin
Posted on 2 Nov 2006 at 10:11pm Interesting maps showing the distribution of permanent residents and naturalized citizens in the US. here and here.

Increases in USCIS filing fees ($800 naturalization fee!) and burdensome proc... by justin
Posted on 29 Oct 2006 at 1:37pm The cost of citizenship may go up Immigrant advocacy groups are decrying an array of proposed federal measures, including application fee increases and online filing requirements, that they fear will sharply reduce the ability of some legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens. More here.

Shrinking Naturalization Backlogs? by justin
Posted on 24 Oct 2006 at 3:53pm The US Government pledged to reduce the backlogs on cases in the USCIS pipeline. Long waits and inconsistent processing times are par for the course when dealing with immigration cases. This is true for N-400 naturalization applications along with all of the other applications filed with the USCIS. They claim the backlog is being reduced but [...]

Naturalization interview: a note on what to expect. by justin
Posted on 16 Aug 2006 at 12:53pm Unless you have a criminal conviction or an arrest the process is usually relatively straightforward. Your sit in the waiting area will likely be longer than the interview itself. Generally, at least in my experience, the interview has two parts. A review of the paperwork and the testing segment. The tests are clearly important and studying [...]


Justin Randolph - Naturalization Assistance

Bender's Immigration Bulletin
Bender's Immigration Bulletin -- Immigration Law News

Tempering Justice With Mercy: Waivers Of Inadmissibility In Consular Processing "An inadmissibility finding by a U.S. Consular Officer is not necessarily the end of the road for aliens who wish to travel or immigrate to the United States. Various sections of the Immigration and Naturalization Act ("INA") provide waivers for most grounds of ineligibility, effectively allowing consular officials to "temper justice with mercy" by issuing restricted visas to aliens who would otherwise be barred from entering the United States." Brian Bolton, Jan. 2010.


Justin Randolph - US Citizenship Assistance

Immigration Law Headlines
The news resource for immigration attorneys


Justin Randolph - Citizenship Assistance