Daytona Beach Immigration Law Attorney

Family Naturalization and Citizenship

Under U.S. immigration law, naturalization is the process where U.S. citizenship is granted to a foreign citizen. A Daytona Beach immigration lawyer will be able to clarify the process, as well as make it as simple as possible for you or your loved one.

When U.S. citizens wish to bring their family members to the United States, their relatives generally get priority when petitioning to bring them permanently to the U.S. What’s more, when a child of a U.S. citizen is born abroad, the child born abroad is an automatic U.S. citizen under most circumstances.

Applying for Naturalization

To apply for naturalization, you must file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. Once the application has been filed, you will have to attend a very important interview. If you wish to apply for citizenship for a child who is under the age of 18, you must use the Form N-600 or the Form N-600K. You will have to take a test on English, U.S. history, as well as civics. In order to qualify for naturalization one of the following has to be met:

You have been a permanent resident for at least five years and met all the other eligibility requirements.
You may file as a spouse of a U.S. citizen if you have been a permanent resident for three years or more and have met all the eligibility requirements.
Your child may qualify for naturalization if you are the U.S. citizen but your child was born outside of the U.S., the child is currently living outside of the U.S. but all of their eligibility requirements have been met

For a child that is permanently residing in America to become a U.S. citizen, the following requirements must be met:

The child must have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence;
Either parent must have been a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization;
The child must be under 18 years old;
The child must be unmarried;
The child must be the parent’s legitimate child before their 16th birthday;
If adopted, they must have met the requirements by the (INA);
The child must be residing in the U.S. in the legal custody of the U.S. citizen parent; and
The child must have been residing in the U.S. in the physical custody of the U.S. citizen parent.

If the child meets all the requirements, the child may obtain a U.S. passport as evidence of citizenship.

Daytona Beach Family Immigration Attorney

If you are at least 18 years old, the residency requirement is 5 years. If you are currently married to and living with a U.S. citizen and, have been married to them for at least 3 years, then the continuous residency requirement is 3 years. To learn more about the family naturalization and citizenship, contact a Daytona Beach immigration law attorney from Buckmaster Law. We are here to assist you through the family naturalization process, as we streamline your efforts towards citizenship. Having an attorney during this critical period can help you save valuable time by making sure that all protocol is properly followed from start to finish.

Contact a Daytona Beach immigration lawyer from the firm to discuss your family naturalization matter.