Many lawful permanent residents want to eventually become U.S. citizens, i.e., naturalize. US citizenship brings with it a number of rights, including:
- The ability to petition for the permanent residence of parents, children and spouse with no backlog
- The ability to bestow citizenship on a child born abroad
- A U.S. citizen cannot be put in removal proceedings
- The right to vote, hold office, and serve on juries
- The right to live abroad indefinitely
In order to be eligible to naturalize, a foreign national must meet all of the following requirements:
- Must be Lawful Permanent Resident
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Must be a resident continuously for 5 years subsequent to LPR (Lawful Permanent Resident) status (3 years if the green card was based on marriage to a U.S. citizen
- Must have resided for at least 3 months in the state in which the petition is filed
- Must be physically present in the US for at least ½ of the 5 years
- Must reside continuously within the US from the date the application is filed up to the time of admission to citizenship
- Must not be absent from the US for a continuous period of more than one year during the period for which continuous residence is required
- Must be a person of good moral character for 5 years prior to filing
- Must be attached to the principles of the US Constitution
- Must be willing to bear arms for the US
- Must not be otherwise barred (subversive, terrorist, etc)
- Must be able to satisfy the Civics and English language requirement