Naturalization Citizenship

How Can I Become A U.S. Citizen?

You can become a United States citizen either by birth, by naturalization or by through U.S. Citizen parents. All children born in the United States are U.S. Citizens, except for children born to foreign national who are recognized diplomats of another country.

Three (3) Classification of U.S. Citizenship

• Citizenship by Acquisition

  This occurs when a child is born outside of the United States to a U.S. Citizen. The child acquires citizenship if one parent was a U.S. Citizen at the time of the child’s birth. Citizenship by Acquisition is not available to stepchildren of U.S. Citizens.

• Citizenship by Naturalization

  A person can become a naturalized citizen by meeting certain requirements of immigration law, which includes physical and continuous presence in the United States, good moral character and taking the naturalization test. Unlike citizenship by birth, which makes a person automatically a U.S. Citizen, naturalization is not automatic.

• Citizenship by Derivation

  A minor child of a naturalized citizen who is under the age of eighteen (18) at the time a parent is naturalized becomes a citizen by derivation. This type of citizenship is not available to stepchildren of U.S. Citizens.

To determine which citizenship process works best for your situation, contact our firm online (Free 24/7 Case Evaluation) or by calling (602) 527-5808.

What Is A Green Card?

A Green Card is a permanent resident card given to an individual/person, who is legally authorized to reside permanently in the United States. A person with a green card can eventually become a naturalized U.S. Citizen after meeting the requirements to become a citizen. Green Cards allow immediate relatives of Green Card holders to also get one without much delay, which is explained better, in our other Family-Based Immigration category.

Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program: What is sometimes called the Green Card Lottery?

The Immigration Act of 1990 established the current and permanent Diversity Visa (DV) program. The lottery is administered by the Department of State and conducted under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It currently makes available 55,000 immigrant visas annually and aims to diversify the immigrant population in the United States, by selecting applicants from countries with low numbers of immigrants in the previous five year. There were around 13 million people that applied for the lottery in 2020 (most recent numbers available).

Many deceptive agencies charge fees from applicants or falsely claim to increase their winning chances, but in fact the only way to apply for the lottery is to compete the entry form on the Department of State website, FREE OF CHARGE.

* Only applicants selected in the lottery must pay a fee to continue the process.