When a non-immigrant wants to enter the United States, then has to jump through many hoops and wait years before becoming a fully-fledged U.S. citizen and reaping all of the benefits that come with it. Before non-immigrants can start their path to citizenship, they likely have to get a visa. A visa is a kind of endorsement that allows non-immigrants onto U.S. soil and may be earned through employment, education, marriage or other means.
After non-immigrants earn their right to a visa, they can then work their way up to a green card. To qualify for a green card, non-immigrants have to have a visa. A green card would signify that the holder is a permanent resident of the U.S.
Following this, many green card holders can enter the naturalization process and become permanent U.S. citizens. The naturalization process can be tricky and take several years to complete. Here’s what you should know:
A test of citizenship
Naturalization is just one process for lawful permanent residents to become official citizens. The other way to become an official U.S. citizen is if the person was born in the states – even if their parents were non-immigrants.
The process of naturalization in itself requires the permanent resident to fill out paperwork regarding their request to become a citizen. Then, the resident will have to pay for the process and take a citizen test to determine their proficiency with English and U.S. knowledge.
The process can be tricky and tiresome, but once the permanent resident fulfills all of their requirements, they are able to pledge an oath of allegiance and enter the naturalization ceremony. If there’s difficulty during the naturalization process, the applicant may need to know their immigration rights to ensure they earn their citizenship.