US Citizenship Application N 400

U.S. Citizenship Application N400 Attorney Alexandria VA

What is a U.S. Citizenship Application N400?  Citizenship is the goal for most immigrants coming into the United States. The United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) therefore provides guidance for immigrants on the qualification for what is called “Naturalization” or becoming a citizen. However, these qualifications are sometimes vague and often lead people into pitfalls wherein their application gets denied, and they lose the fees of the application. Herein, we will take a look at the qualifications and the issues that may arise in your Application for Naturalization.

5 Years of Residence

USCIS requires five years of residency or 3 years of residency after marrying a US citizen and receiving a permanent resident card. However, the twist here is that you must have been inside the United States for 51% of those years. That is 931 days living inside the U.S. for 5 year if filing through marriage to U.S. citizen then 559 days for 3 years. YourYou arebare USCIS to disclose every entry and exist in the past five years and they will count the days. If you have multiple long exits and entries, speak to an immigration attorney to determine when and how you should apply to avoid this pitfall.

 

Good Moral CharacterU.S. Citizenship Application N400 Attorney Alexandria VA

Good moral character is a vague requirement that can mean what your USCIS officer wants it to mean. Before 2016, it meant that you had no crime of moral turpitude such as a possession charge, a fraud charge or an aggravated felony. Now it means any unlawful act. This could be a traffic ticket or a charge that was dismissed. If you have any record whatsoever and you live in Virginia please find a lawyer who can help you if you live near Alexandria or Springfield Virginia.  USCIS officers enjoy a good amount of discretion in the adjudication process but there still some limits. So any information and statement you provide that reflects negatively on you can be a problem. USCIS can and will hold this against you and make you prove your good moral character. Proving good moral character is difficult and requires the right evidence to mitigate your unlawful acts and show that you are contributing positively to your community.

Additional Requirement: Good Immigration History

Something new in recent years is good immigration history. USCIS has been looking into applicants’ entries and exits from the United States with a magnifying glass. For example, if you lied and said you were not married to get an immigration benefit, USCIS will find that, deny your application, and may put you in deportation proceedings. If this sounds familiar to you, please find an attorney as the only way you will get citizenship is through an appeal with the Federal Courts.

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If you are in need of assistance with this process please give us a call or fill in the form below with any questions you might have. Shawn Mughal is a top immigration lawyer in Alexandria VA