On average, it takes anywhere from 18 months to 24 months to complete the naturalization process and become a U.S. citizen. The naturalization process has 5 general steps; beginning with filing Form N-400 and ending with taking the Oath of Allegiance.
How long does it take to become a U.S. citizen? The national average processing time for naturalization (citizenship) applications is 14.5 months.
Applications for work permits saw an increase of processing times from 3.2 months in FY 2020 to 4.3 months in FY 2022.
The Interview
The appointment notice will come in the mail within 6 months or sooner after filing. USCIS will give the applicants a few weeks notice to get everything together before the big day.
About four or five months after your initial filing, you will be scheduled for the naturalization interview. The examining officer will review your application with you, determine if you are a person of good moral character, administer the civics and English exam and review the oath of allegiance.
You may travel to another country, including your home country, provided no other legal impediment precludes you from doing so. However, if a trip lasts longer than 180 days, USCIS may determine that you have not continuously resided in the United States and therefore are ineligible for naturalization.
You can generally request expedited processing by calling the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) or by asking Emma after you have obtained a receipt notice.
On the bottom of the index is the field office in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a typical processing time of 15.1 months and some immigrants waiting nearly 2 years (23.5 months). The field office in Miami isn't much better, though, with a typical processing time of 16.2 months and a maximum of 21.2 months.
Many people expect to receive a response or next steps from the USCIS within a few weeks of their biometrics appointment. Unfortunately, the wait will be much longer than this. Typically, it can take anything between 5 and 10 months before you get a notice for your green card interview, for example.
As of 2022, the processing time for regular filing for your citizenship certificate is 17 months. For urgent filing, it could take 2 weeks to 8 weeks.
The fastest way to become a U.S. citizen is to be born in the United States. How long do you have to live in the US to become a citizen? You may qualify for naturalization and become a U.S. citizen if you have been a permanent resident for at least 5 years. 3 years in case you are married to a U.S. citizen.
The fastest way to obtain citizenship is in Vanuatu; on average, it takes a month. Caribbean citizenship has become popular among entrepreneurs.
Many factors may affect how long it takes USCIS to complete an application, petition or request, such as the number of applications, petitions, or requests we receive, workload and staffing allocations, the time a benefit requestor takes responding to a request for more information, as well as policy and operational ...
$1,170. You may pay the fee with a money order, personal check, or cashier's check. When filing at a USCIS lockbox, you may also pay 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 U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
While an immigration attorney cannot per say “speed up” your case, the immigration attorney is knowledgeable in immigration law and will know the best strategy and options for your case. Undeniably, this avoids any unreasonable delay by anyone lacking specialized knowledge in this area of law.
The statutory period preceding the filing of the application is calculated from the date of filing. Once 4 years and 1 day have elapsed from the date of the applicant's return to the United States, the period of absence from the United States that occurred within the past 5 years is now less than 1 year.
On May 24, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began implementing an expansion of the agency's premium processing service for certain pending Form I-140 petitions.
USCIS field offices do not allow walk-ins. You must have an appointment to visit an office. Field offices in the U.S. and its territories provide: Interviews for all non-asylum cases (for example, getting a Green Card);
You will not be able to travel abroad until you have your U.S. passport. Please allow sufficient time between your ceremony and any planned travel to receive your passport. In addition to your Certificate of Naturalization, a passport serves as evidence of citizenship.
On an average day we: Adjudicate more than 28,000 requests for various immigration benefits. Process 3,100 applications to sponsor relatives and future spouses. Analyze nearly 600 tips, leads, cases and detections for potential fraud, public safety and national security concerns.
Can I still apply for citizenship? Yes. USCIS recommends applying for a new green card if your current card is expired or will expire in the next 6 months. If you apply for citizenship more than 6 months before your green card expires, you probably will not have to renew your green card.
During the process of naturalization, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will conduct the U.S. Citizenship Interview. Though the interview does not require your immigration and naturalization attorney to be present, there are benefits of having a lawyer at citizenship interview.
All travelers must have a passport book for international air travel. Please note that hospital-issued birth certificates, voter registration cards, and affidavits cannot be used. If you were not born in the United States, you can use your original Naturalization Certificate or Certificate of Citizenship.