US Immigration Blog

To become a citizen of the United States,  one must meet certain requirements.  These include:

- Be at least 18 years of age

- Be a Permanent resident for at least 5 years (3 years if married to a US citizen)

- Pass civics, History and government tests

- Have good moral character as defined in the Naturalization statutes

- Take oath of citizenship

If filing for Naturalization as a permanent resident who has resided in the United States for five years, the application for Naturalization on Form N-400 can be filed up to 90 days before the anniversary date of the date you became a permanent resident.  Therefore, you do not have to wait for five full years before you file as the USCIS will accept your application 4 years and 9 months after the date you were admitted to permanent residence.

The same time line would follow if filing as a permanent resident who has been married to a US citizen and has been living in marital union with the US citizen petitioner.   In that case, the application can be filed 2 years and 9 months following the date of admission to permanent residence.

There are other rules that apply to persons serving in the military and children adopted by US citizens and those are not discussed here.