Have you ever thought about applying for citizenship? Well, if you’ve been a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) for 5 years — or 3 years if you’ve been married to a U.S. citizen the whole time — you may now be eligible!
Here are a few reasons why applying for naturalization is a great idea:
— Voting: U.S. citizens can vote in all federal, state, and local elections. So if you’re interested in helping to stop Trump from returning to office in the 2024 election, now’s the time to get started with becoming a citizen!
— U.S. Passport: Wouldn’t it be more fun to travel with a U.S. passport? Lots of countries allow U.S. citizens to enter without visas.
— Ability to Petition for Parents: If you’re interested in helping a parent or parents immigrate to the United States from abroad, you can do so as a U.S. citizen. (Of course, your parents might want to come over for dinner all the time, so keep that in mind).
— Security of Immigration Status: Did you know that as a lawful permanent resident, you can be put into removal proceedings if you commit certain crimes? For instance, my childhood friend sadly had an older brother deported after a conviction, even though he had been a permanent resident since age 2! If you are a U.S. citizen, you can’t be deported, even if you go on a crime spree.
It also makes sense to become a citizen now, while there’s an immigrant-friendlier president in office. Under the Trump administration, they tried to make the citizenship test very difficult. Biden ripped up the new test and threw it in the garbage.
If you’d like to talk to one of our attorneys about applying for citizenship, please feel free to contact us by clicking the button below!