On Veterans Day November 11, over 4,400 former and current military members and their families were naturalized in over 90 ceremonies across the country. A new report shows over 808,000 people became United States citizens in the fiscal year 2021 – an increase from 625,000 in 2020 – despite a global pandemic, closed offices and paperwork backlogs.
During the pandemic, over 2000 Pennsylvania immigrants file a class-action lawsuit against the many naturalization ceremonies canceled by USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). USCIS also refused to conduct virtual naturalization ceremonies, because immigration fees fund the office operations. Many of the plaintiffs also felt their naturalization ceremony was canceled for political reasons during a pandemic. The lawsuit was dropped when the Philadelphia office of USCIS conducted the naturalization ceremonies in July.
Naturalization is when a foreign national voluntarily applies to become a permanent United States citizen. The qualifications and application process for naturalization is managed by USCIS. Typically, someone seeking citizenship through the naturalization process must be at least 18-years-old and have been a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR, or green card holder) in the United States for five years or longer.
Eligible naturalization applicants can file a Form N-400 Application for Naturalization, which is available from the USCIS website. Most applicants must submit biometric information such as fingerprints and body measurements and pay an application filing fee. USCIS will schedule an interview as the next step in the process of becoming a naturalized citizen.
Read More:
• Should I Hire an Attorney to Get Naturalized?
• Benefits of Becoming a U.S. Citizen
United States immigration laws can be extraordinarily complicated. A small mistake on a naturalization application can lead to years of delays to citizenship and even outright denials and deportation. Your decision to hire an experienced immigration lawyer can save you time, money and stress – and make the difference between your naturalization application being denied or approved. Contact Godoy Law Office, our skilled immigration lawyers can answer any questions about immigration and guide you through every step of the process.
AREAS WE SERVE: Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, and Lake Counties
