The journey to becoming a US citizen is regulated by certain rules and requirements. The following are the general requirements that must be met before a permanent resident can apply for naturalization.
Minimum Age
The permanent resident must be at least 18 years old at the time application.
Residence and Physical Presence
Before a permanent resident can file for naturalization , he/she must satisfy the following residency and physical presence requirements immediately preceding the application:
- Has resided continuously as a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. for at least 5 years after lawful admission in that status (or 3 years if married to a US citizen) prior to filing with no single absence form the Untied States of more than one year (there are exceptions to this);
- Has been physically present in the United States for at least thirty months out of the previous five years or if married to a US citizen, eighteen months out of the previous three years (absences of more than six months but less than one year shall he or he did not abandon his or her residence during such period.). The computation of this period is cumulative not continuous.
- Has resided within a state or district for at least three months and continues to reside within that state at the time of the application.
Showing Good Moral Character
The permanent resident applying for naturalization must show that he/she has been a person of good moral character for the statutory period (typically five years or three years if married to a U.S. citizen or one year for the Armed Forces expedite) prior to filing for naturalization. There is a permanent barred from naturalization if the individual has been convicted of murder or has been convicted of an aggravated felony as defined in section 101 (a)(43) of the Act on or after November 29, 1990.