US Citizenship for Canadians

You must meet specific requirements before becoming a United States citizen through naturalization. They include;

1. You must be at least eighteen (18) years old.
2. You must have been resident in the US for at least 30 months in the last 60 months of your time as a permanent resident. However, if you gained residency through marriage, you must have been a resident for at least 18 months in the last 36 months.
3. You must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of United States history and culture.
4. You must demonstrate English Language proficiency.
5. You must be of good moral character during your stay in the US. This entails that you do not have a history of violent crimes.
6. You must have resided in the same state where you intend to apply for citizenship for at least three months.
7. After completing your naturalization application, you must pledge allegiance to the United States, after which you will become a bona fide US citizen.
8. Pledge allegiance to the United States and declare that you will serve your country when needed

Before applying for US citizenship, you must ensure that your card has not expired or will not expire within six months from filing your application.

During the citizenship application process, there are several documents that you will be required to submit in support of your application. The exact documents depend on your immigration status but will likely include the following;

• A copy of your green card or permanent residence permit
• Two valid ID cards with your passport photograph
• Your current and previous passports, including expired ones and travel records
• Proof of payment for application fees
• Tax income returns for the previous five years
• Original marriage certificate for current and previous marriages, where applicable.
• The ID of all dependents, where applicable
• Proof of military service, where applicable
• Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service (if applying for naturalization based on military service)
• Police, court, and conviction records
• Letter of attestation from your boss, religious leader, or military personnel to prove you are of good moral character
• Two US government standard passport photographs

All of your documents must be in English. If you have any document, not in English, you must provide certified translations along with the original copies of the document. You do not need to submit original documents to the USCIS except where stated on the application form.

The cost of applying for US citizenship is usually $640. This is the cost of the N-400 Form.

Where applicable, you will be required to pay a biometric fee of $85, bringing the total to $725.

You may pay your fee online if you file your Form N-400 online.

If you file your Form N-400 by mail (paper), you may pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s check, or by credit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions.

If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the US Department of Homeland Security.

Applicants 75 years or older do not need to pay a biometric fee.

They only need to pay the $640 filing fee. Some military personnel do not also need to pay the biometric fee.

You may also incur costs from translations.

If you successfully fill in your application and you submit all the required documents in time, it will typically take about fourteen months for you to achieve citizenship status after starting your application.

Following the submission of Form N-400, the biometric exercise is usually scheduled six weeks later. After you submit your biometrics, it will take about one year before you write your citizenship test. If you pass your citizenship test, it will take a further four weeks before the USCIS provides a date for your oath ceremony. The oath ceremony will be held as soon as possible.

Your application procedure will take longer if you request a rescheduling for your biometric capture or interview or fail one of the examinations during the initial trial.

The Oath of Allegiance is a sworn declaration that all applicants must take for American citizenship. Before fully completing their naturalization process, applicants must take the Oath of Allegiance in a formal ceremony.

This includes a solemn vow to;

• Support the United States constitution
• Defend the values of the United States’ laws and Constitution from its adversaries
• Give up any and all allegiances to other foreign kingdoms, nations, or sovereigns, as well as any hereditary or aristocratic titles you may have
• Volunteer for US military or civilian duty if the government ever asks you to do so

The oath ceremony is the final step in the citizenship application process. You cannot be regarded as a United States citizen without completing this step.

During the naturalization ceremony, citizenship applicants will be required to renounce their allegiance and fidelity to other nations.

However, there is no immigration law or United States law that enforces naturalized citizens to relinquish citizenship of any foreign nationality.

Dual citizens enjoy the benefits of both the US and the other country of which they are citizens.

Foreign nationals from countries like China or India are not recognized as US citizens in their home country.

It is crucial that you check with your home country if you will be able to retain dual nationality before proceeding with the naturalization process.