U.S. Citizenship
Benefits of U.S. Citizenship
I am always amazed to discover the number of people who have lived as long-time
permanent
residents in the U.S. and never sought U.S. citizenship.
As a permanent resident, if you are arrested and convicted, even for crimes you think
are minor ones, you may wind up deported (removed) and barred for many years or even forever. Citizens cannot be deported unless based upon misrepresentation
that occurred in the citizenship process.
You can also lose permanent resident status through abandonment. If you live and
work abroad for a long time, fail to pay U.S. taxes, own and drive a vehicle that
is registered in your name in
a foreign country, and/or hold foreign bank accounts, you may lose permanent resident
status because you can be deemed to have abandoned it, even if you were not aware of
the consequences, but none of these will jeopardize U.S. citizenship.
Citizenship is protected by the U.S. constitution and is very hard to lose without
specific legal acts voluntarily done with the intention to relinquish citizenship status,
and even these acts may sometimes be reversed if you later change your mind.
Not so with permanent residency. Once lost, you must start over to apply for it.
In this time of crack-downs on terrorism and fear of foreignors, citizenship is
a wise investment for those who are legitimately entitled to it.
Ways to obtain U.S. Citizenship
Citizenship through Naturalization
A permanent resident with three years of legal permanent residency (based upon a
bona fide marriage to a US citizen) or five years (generally applicable to employment
based permanent residency)
may qualify for naturalization. Qualifying children of
naturalizing parents can also apply for naturalization, but those who reach adulthood
during
the immigration and naturalization process may encounter special difficulties that
require legal assistance. Iif there is a reason to suspect the green card was not
legitimately obtained or if there was a criminal conviction or other serious matter
that arose during the period of permanent residency,
applying for citizenship may
be inadvisable and can result in deportation (removal) proceedings. If you are concerned
that you may encounter complications during the naturalization process, and want
legal advice in total confidence, call Messing
Law Offices today.
Citizenship through Birth
Under current law, anyone born in the United States, even of foreign parents, is
automatically a U.S. citizen.
Citizenship through Parentage
Without meeting any visa requirements, American citizenship can also be obtained on the basis of a U.S. citizen parent, who resided in the United States for a legally required period of time, even for
a foreignor who never visited the United States and has no other connection to the
country. Because the law defining the required residency of a U.S. citizen parent for citizenship
transmission purposes has changed over time, determining entitlement
to citizenship in a specific case can be very confusing.
This is a task best undertaken by
an experienced
citizenship attorney. If one or both of your parents was a U.S. citizen, or additionally
one or both of your grandparents was a U.S. citizen and you would like more information, please contact MessingLaw Offices.
View the Video: Immigration Nuggets "U.S. Citizenship" from Messing Law Offices, Arizona Immigration Attorney
U.S. law permits a person who was born abroad to be both a citizen of the United States and the country where he or she was born (dual citizenship) under most circumstances.
Arizona Citizenship, Immigration & Naturalization Attorney
At Messing Law Offices, we provide high quality legal services and expertise to families, working men and women, and businesses. If you have a concern in the areas of family based immigration, business based immigration, employment based immigration, or naturalization and you are seeking the help of an experienced immigration lawyer, call Messing Law Offices for professional Arizona immigration attorney assistance.
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