The Immigration Process Essay, Research Paper

The Immigration Process-Citizenship

How does the immigration process of citizenship work?

Becoming a citizen of the United States is a very lengthy process. Not just anyone can become a citizen of the United States. There are many requirements and responsibilities to becoming a citizen, whether it is of the United States or any other country. Being a citizen of the United States is a very special privilege. The people who do become a citizen should be very lucky and proud to be the citizen of the United States. Even though they do become citizens of the United States they shouldn’t forget about their own country either, but share the joyfulness.

The process to becoming a citizen is not hard, but you have to have been a good residence of the United States. That means you had to obey all laws and be a person of good moral character. To become a citizen an applicant must be 18 years of age or older. They should have also been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Individuals who have been lawfully admitted as permanent residents will be asked to produce an I-551, Alien Registration Receipt Card, as proof of their residency. The applicant also has to have been residing in the U.S. for five years prior to filing with absences from the United States totaling no more than one year. Also the applicant should have also been physically present in the United States for at least two and a half years out of the previous five years, and has resided within a state or district for at least three months. The most important thing in the naturalization, or citizenship, process is the moral character of the applicant. This is important because the U.S., or any other country from what I know, would want a person who has been a criminal or has done illegal activities within that country. An applicant is permanently barred from naturalization of they have been convicted of murder or an aggravated felony. Also an applicant is not considered to be a person of good moral character if they have done any of the following within the five years: 1) has committed and been convicted of one or more crimes involving moral turpitude. 2) Has committed and been convicted of 2 or more offenses for which the total sentence imposed was 5 years or more. 3) Has committed and been convicted of any controlled substance law, except for a single offense of simple possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana. 4) Has been confined to a penal institution during the statutory period, as a result of a conviction, for an aggregate period of 180 days or more. 5) Has committed and been convicted of two or more gambling offenses. 6) Is or has earned his or her principle income from illegal gambling. 7) Is or has been involved in prostitution or commercialized vice. 8) Is or has been involved in smuggling illegal aliens into the United States. 9) Is or has been a habitual drunkard. 10) Is practicing or has practiced polygamy. 11) Has willfully failed or refused to support dependents. 12) Has willfully failed or refused to support dependents. 13) Has given false testimony, under oath, in order to receive a benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act. An applicant must also show that he or she is attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States.

Another important requirement is that applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language. The only people who are exempt from that are those who have been residing permanently in the U.S. for over 15 years and are 55 years of age or older, have been residing 20 years and 50 years of age or older, or have a physical or mental disability which impairs them from learning English. An applicant must also demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the history and the form of government of the United States. To demonstrate this knowledge and understanding the applicant must take a U.S. History test which consists of approximately 25 questions. When the applicant passes this test they must take the Oath of Allegiance. By taking this oath, the applicant swears to support the Constitution and obey the laws of the U.S., renounce any foreign allegiance and/or foreign title, and bear arms for the Armed Forces of the U.S. or perform services for the government of the U.S. when required. This is the process that is taken to become a citizen of the United States. In certain instances, where the applicant states that he or she is opposed to any type of service in the armed forces based on religious teachings or belief, the INS, or Immigration or Naturalization Service, will permit those applicants to take a modified oath. This is the process for becoming a citizen of the United States.

The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that there were 10.525 million legal permanent residents residing in the United States as of April 1996. Approximately 5.776 million of these immigrants were eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship. Legal permanent residents are entitled to live permanently in the United States but are not naturalized citizens, either because they have chosen not to apply for citizenship, or because they have not met the citizenship requirements. One of the most important requirements is residence in the United States. Immigrants may become naturalized citizens after a minimum of 5 years residence, or in some cases after 3 years residence, by taking an oath of allegiance in a court or in a administrative hearing, or by deriving their citizenship through the naturalization of their parents. In addition to the 5.8 million immigrants eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, approximately 687,000 children may be eligible to derive their citizenship through their parents’ naturalization.

This is the process by which one goes to becoming a citizen of the United States of America. As you can see there are many things that you have to have to be eligible. Some of those things are for example, a specific age, a permanent residence of the United States for 5 years, proof of permanent residency, good moral character, etc. By taking the Oath of Allegiance you are accepting all of the responsibilities that are stated in the oath. When you do that you are a citizen of the United States of America, which I think is the best citizenship a person can have.