Citizenship Support

Applying for Citizenship

Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) may apply to become citizens of the U.S. after five years (three years if married to a U.S. citizen for those three years).

If you want to become a citizen of the U.S. there are things you might need. It is a good idea to keep all of the following in a safe place:

• Copies of all immigration applications/petitions (I-485, refugee/asylum forms) you have submitted with the supporting documents;
• Tax returns;
• Birth certificates of all children (with English translations);
• Certificates of marriage and final divorce decrees, if any (with English translations);
• All your passports – current and expired;
• Record of all travel outside the U.S., the countries visited, the dates left and returned (passports aren’t always stamped or easy to read);
• List of all groups (political, professional, religious, etc.) to which you have belonged – purpose, dates, location;
• Addresses where you have lived – the dates you moved in and moved out;
• Employment and schools– the name and addresses of the companies where you have worked or the schools attended, the dates you started and finished, and occupation at each job;
• Certificates of marriage and final divorce decrees, if any;
• Record of all traffic tickets, police encounters, date, location, outcome, copies of any reports; and
• Certified court documents if you had to appear in court.,

IMPORTANT: The “Public Charge” Rule does not apply to citizenship. Center for New Americans offers legal permanent residents (LPRs or green card holders) who are ready to apply for U.S. citizenship  free assistance.