Legal, permanent residents are eligible to apply for citizenship in two different ways. One way is if you obtained your permanent resident status through a spouse, and you continue to live with them. You can apply for citizenship within three years of obtaining your permanent resident status. Other individuals who obtained their permanent residency status through other means can apply for citizenship after five years.
If you are eligible, you need to show that you’ve had permanent resident status for at least three to five years. You must have been in the United States for at least half that time, 18 months to 30 months. You cannot have broken continuous residence. In other words, you cannot have stayed outside of the United States for more than one year, and you cannot have been convicted of certain crimes.
You also have to have positive, good moral character for the five years immediately preceding the application. Obviously, certain criminal convictions will bar you from filing for citizenship, or you will have to wait those five years. If you do have some immigration violations that may cause you not to be eligible.
In the past week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State have released a list of countries from which foreign nationals may participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in 2020. Essentially, all the countries that were designated… Read More
As of January 9, 2020, USCIS is implementing a new H-1B registration process for the fiscal year 2021. With the new law in place, all H-1B cap-subject petitioners who are looking to file an FY 2021 H-1B cap petition now must first register electronically with USCIS. Each H-1B submission requires… Read More
Recently, USCIS began accepting applications from certain Liberian nationals to adjust their status to lawful permanent residents. This comes after the December 20, 2019 passing of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness. However, to qualify for permanent residence, among other things, individuals must… Read More
If you are an immigrant, you are most likely waiting for the day when you become an official United States citizen. Citizenship provides immigrants with the opportunities they need to live a happy, safe, and successful life. Please read on and reach out to our experienced Wisconsin immigration attorneys to… Read More
