US Citizenship: Guide for Filipino Applicants

US citizenship is the highest immigration status available in the United States.

Unlike a Green Card, which grants permanent residence but remains subject to certain conditions, citizenship is generally permanent and cannot be lost through a long stay abroad, a criminal record short of treason or fraud, or the expiration of a visa.

Citizenship removes the conditions that come with every other immigration status. A citizen cannot be deported, needs no visa or Green Card renewal, can vote in federal elections, can sponsor a wider range of family members, and can travel on a US passport that offers visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to over 180 countries.

For Filipino families who have spent years building a life in the United States, citizenship offers a settled, permanent status that a Green Card, however secure it feels day-to-day, does not provide.

Page Contents

• US Citizenship: An Overview
• Types of US Citizenship
• US Citizenship Requirements for Filipino Green Card Holders
• How to Get US Citizenship as a Filipino: The Naturalization Process
• Preparing for the Naturalization Interview and Test
• The Citizenship Ceremony
• Birthright Citizenship in the United States
• US Dual Citizenship Explained for Filipino Americans
• Green Card vs US Citizenship for Filipino Immigrants
• History of US Citizenship
• US Citizens vs Non-Citizen Nationals
• Rights, Responsibilities, and Benefits of Citizenship
• Renouncing Your US Citizenship as a Filipino Dual National
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

Most people acquire US citizenship in one of three ways:

• Birthright citizenship applies automatically to almost anyone born within US territory, no matter their parents’ status at the time
• Derivative citizenship applies automatically to certain children of US citizens, typically when a parent naturalizes while the child is still a minor living in their custody
• Naturalization is the route available to Green Card holders who meet residence, character, and testing requirements after living in the United States for a set number of years, and is the pathway most Filipino applicants use

Not sure which pathway applies to your situation? Speak to our citizenship lawyers. Call +1 844 312 4979.

To qualify for naturalization, the main route to citizenship for Filipino Green Card holders, an applicant must usually meet the following requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old at the time of filing
• Hold a valid Green Card and have held lawful permanent resident status for at least five years, or three years if married to and living with a US citizen spouse throughout that period
• Show continuous residence in the US for the qualifying period, without any extended absence that breaks that continuity
• Demonstrate physical presence in the US for at least 30 months out of the last five years, or 18 months out of three years under the marriage-based track
• Have lived for at least three months in the state or USCIS district where the application is filed
• Demonstrate good moral character throughout the qualifying period
• Pass an English and civics test, unless a recognized age or disability exemption applies
• Show an attachment to the principles of the US Constitution

Applicants who fall short on any one of these points, even a single extended trip home that breaks continuous residence, can see their application delayed or denied, so it is worth reviewing your travel history carefully before filing.

USCIS also looks closely at the full five or three-year period, not just recent conduct, so old issues such as unpaid taxes, unresolved traffic matters, or a prior immigration violation can resurface during the background check even if they seemed settled long ago.

Not sure whether you meet the requirements for naturalization yet?

Our team can review your case. Call +1 844 312 4979.

Most Green Card holders follow the same basic sequence to reach citizenship.

1. Confirm eligibility, including the residence, physical presence, and moral character requirements above.
2. File Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, with USCIS, which can be done up to 90 days before your eligibility date.
3. Complete a biometrics appointment, if required.
4. Attend the naturalization interview, which includes the English and civics test.
5. Receive a decision, and if approved, attend an oath ceremony to complete the process.

Applicants filing Form N-400 must pay $710 to file online, or $760 to file on paper.

A reduced fee of $380 is available to eligible low-income applicants who qualify for a partial fee reduction, and the fee is waived entirely for certain applicants with qualifying military service.

DHS has proposed raising these fees significantly, to around $1,280 online and $1,330, and eliminating the reduced fee and waiver options outside military service. However, the proposal has not been finalized, and current fees still apply, but eligible applicants who want to avoid a possible increase may want to file sooner rather than later.

Processing time varies considerably by USCIS field office and current caseload, and can range from several months to over a year from filing to the oath ceremony. Filing a complete application with all required evidence the first time, rather than waiting for a request for evidence to prompt a resubmission, is the single biggest factor within an applicant’s control.

The naturalization interview covers two things: a review of your application and background, and the English and civics test. USCIS updated the civics test in October 2025, and applicants who file on or after that date take the current version, which draws 20 questions from a bank of 128, with 12 correct answers needed to pass. The officer stops the test as soon as a candidate has clearly passed or failed, rather than asking all 20 questions regardless of outcome.

The English portion tests basic reading, writing, and speaking ability, and is unaffected by the civics test changes. Applicants aged 50 or older who have held a Green Card for 20 years, or aged 55 or older with 15 years, can take the civics test in their own language, and applicants 65 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident face a shorter, simplified version of both tests.

Studying the full official question bank, practicing spoken English answers aloud, and reviewing your own N-400 form before the interview are the most effective ways to prepare, since officers often ask applicants to explain details from their own applications.

Preparing for your naturalization interview, and want to discuss potential questions with a lawyer first? Call +1 844 312 4979.

Approval of Form N-400 is not the final step to US citizenship. New citizens must attend an oath ceremony, where they take the Oath of Allegiance and receive a Certificate of Naturalization, the document that officially proves citizenship.

Ceremonies are sometimes scheduled the same day as the interview at smaller offices, though larger field offices typically schedule a separate date weeks later. Guests are usually welcome, and bringing a valid photo ID is required for entry.

Once the oath is taken, citizenship takes effect immediately, and applicants can apply for a US passport the same day.

The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizenship to nearly everyone born on US soil, regardless of their parents’ immigration status, a principle the Supreme Court upheld in United States v. Wong Kim Ark over a century ago.

This area of law has seen significant activity recently. In January 2025, an executive order attempted to limit birthright citizenship for children born to parents without lawful permanent status.

Multiple federal courts blocked the order, and in June 2026, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional, reaffirming that birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment cannot be narrowed by executive action alone. A further executive order followed in August 2026, targeting a narrower set of circumstances, and remains blocked by a court injunction while litigation continues.

For Filipino parents living in the United States, including Green Card holders and those on temporary visas, a child born on US soil is still a US citizen at birth under existing Supreme Court precedent, regardless of the parents’ own status. This is a developing area of law; anyone with a specific question about how it might affect their family should get up-to-date legal advice.

Does the US allow dual citizenship? Yes. US law does not require a naturalized citizen to formally give up their prior nationality, and holding dual citizenship is legal, even though the Oath of Allegiance includes language renouncing foreign allegiances.

In practice, the United States does not enforce this clause as a loss of another country’s citizenship, since that determination is left entirely to the laws of the other country involved.

Dual citizenship carries real advantages, including the ability to live, work, and own property in both countries, and to travel using whichever passport is more convenient for a given trip.

It also brings complications: dual citizens are generally taxed by the United States on worldwide income regardless of where they live, may face conflicting legal obligations such as military service in the other country, and must usually enter and exit each country using that country’s own passport.

A Filipino American dual citizen, for example, is generally expected to travel into and out of the United States on their US passport, and into and out of the Philippines on their Philippine passport, rather than mixing the two.

Considering how dual citizenship might affect your specific situation? Speak to our lawyers before you file. Call +1 844 312 4979.

Many Filipino applicants weigh whether to remain a Green Card holder or pursue citizenship. The table below outlines the main differences.

US citizenship law has changed considerably since the nation’s founding. The Naturalization Act of 1790 first defined eligibility for citizenship and limited it by race. A century later, the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868 after the Civil War, established birthright citizenship as a constitutional guarantee.

The Cable Act of 1922 addressed the citizenship of women who married non-citizens, followed by the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which extended citizenship to Native Americans born in the United States. In 1952, the Immigration and Nationality Act consolidated citizenship law into a single federal statute, and the 1965 amendments to that Act ended the national-origin quota system that had long restricted immigration from countries such as the Philippines.

Filipino immigration to the United States expanded significantly after 1965, and Filipinos remain one of the largest immigrant groups pursuing naturalization each year.

A small group of people holds US nationality without holding full citizenship. The main example is people born in American Samoa, an unincorporated US territory, who are classified as non-citizen nationals rather than citizens under current federal law.

This status carries permanent allegiance to the United States and the right to live and work anywhere in the country without a visa, but it does not include the right to vote in federal elections, and it comes with restrictions on certain federal jobs, unless and until the person separately completes the naturalization process.

Citizenship brings a fuller set of rights than any other immigration status: voting in local, state, and federal elections, running for most elected offices, unrestricted eligibility for federal employment and security clearances, and full protection against deportation. It also comes with responsibilities, including jury duty when summoned, and for men, registering with the Selective Service between the ages of 18 and 25.

Sponsoring family members also become considerably broader once naturalized. A Green Card holder can sponsor a spouse and unmarried children, but a citizen can additionally sponsor parents, married children, and siblings, each under different visa categories and waiting periods. For families with relatives still in the Philippines, this expanded sponsorship ability is often one of the most practical reasons to pursue citizenship rather than remain a permanent resident indefinitely.