How to Become a U.S. Citizen in 2026: Complete Guide to Naturalization (Form N-400)
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Becoming a United States citizen is one of the most powerful immigration benefits available. U.S. citizenship provides permanent protection from removal, the right to vote, the ability to sponsor additional family members, access to federal benefits, and the freedom to travel with a U.S. passport.
For many lawful permanent residents, the path to citizenship through naturalization using Form N-400 is more straightforward than they expect—especially when guided correctly from the beginning.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Who Can Apply for U.S. Citizenship?
Most green card holders qualify for naturalization if they meet these core requirements:
• Five years as a lawful permanent resident (or three years if married to a U.S. citizen)• Continuous residence and physical presence in the United States• Good moral character during the statutory period• English language ability and knowledge of U.S. civics• Willingness to take the Oath of Allegiance
These rules come directly from the Immigration and Nationality Act and are implemented through USCIS Form N-400 and related regulations.
Even applicants with prior travel, tax concerns, or minor legal issues may still qualify—but careful legal analysis is critical before filing.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Why Applying for Citizenship Matters More Than Ever
Many permanent residents delay filing for naturalization because they feel secure with a green card. However, citizenship provides protections and opportunities that permanent residence simply cannot match.
Key advantages of U.S. citizenship include:
• Protection from deportation in most circumstances• Eligibility to petition for parents, siblings, and married children using Forms I-130 and immigrant visa processing• Automatic citizenship for certain children under INA §320• Access to federal employment and government benefits• A U.S. passport enabling visa-free travel to many countries• The right to vote and fully participate in American civic life
For families planning long-term stability in the United States, naturalization is often the most important final step in the immigration journey.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Common Mistakes That Delay or Deny Naturalization
Many N-400 applications are delayed—or even denied—because of avoidable errors. The most frequent issues include:
• Extended trips abroad that disrupt continuous residence• Unfiled or incorrect tax returns• Failure to disclose arrests or citations• Selective Service registration problems• Prior immigration violations or misrepresentations
A denial can create serious immigration consequences, including referral to removal proceedings in certain cases.
Because of this risk, legal screening before filing Form N-400 is essential, especially for applicants with complicated histories.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The Naturalization Process Step-by-Step
Understanding the timeline helps applicants prepare with confidence.
1. Filing Form N-400
Applicants submit Form N-400 with supporting documents and filing fees to USCIS.
2. Biometrics Appointment
USCIS collects fingerprints and background checks to confirm identity and criminal history.
3. Naturalization Interview and Tests
Applicants attend an interview covering:
• English reading, writing, and speaking• U.S. history and government civics questions• Review of the N-400 application and eligibility
4. Decision by USCIS
USCIS may approve, continue, or deny the application.
5. Oath Ceremony
Once approved, the applicant takes the Oath of Allegiance and officially becomes a United States citizen.
With proper preparation, many cases move from filing to oath in approximately 6–12 months, though timing varies by location.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
How Legal Guidance Improves Approval Chances
While some applicants file alone, professional guidance can significantly reduce risk.
An experienced immigration attorney can:
• Confirm eligibility before filing• Identify travel or tax issues that could cause denial• Prepare applicants for the English and civics tests• Address prior arrests or immigration violations properly• Attend the naturalization interview when appropriate
Most importantly, legal review helps ensure that applying for citizenship strengthens—rather than endangers—your immigration status.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Citizenship Through Marriage vs. Five-Year Rule
Some permanent residents qualify earlier through marriage to a U.S. citizen.
Three-year naturalization requires:
• Ongoing marital union with a U.S. citizen spouse• The spouse must have been a citizen for at least three years• The applicant must meet continuous residence and physical presence rules
Strategic timing of the N-400 filing window (up to 90 days early) can accelerate approval and reduce waiting time.
Choosing the correct eligibility category is another area where legal advice prevents costly delays.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Start Your Citizenship Journey with Confidence
Becoming a U.S. citizen is more than paperwork—it is security, opportunity, and a permanent future in the United States.
At the Law Office of Andrew R. Sones, we help individuals and families worldwide:
• Evaluate eligibility for naturalization under Form N-400• Resolve complications before filing• Prepare for interviews and tests• Move efficiently from green card to citizenship
If you are considering applying for U.S. citizenship, now is the time to act. Early legal planning can make the difference between fast approval and costly delay.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Frequently Asked Questions About U.S. Citizenship
How long do I need a green card before applying?
Most applicants must wait five years, or three years if married to a U.S. citizen.
Can I apply for citizenship if I travel frequently?
Yes, but long trips outside the United States may disrupt continuous residence and require legal analysis before filing Form N-400.
What happens if my N-400 is denied?
A denial may allow an appeal or re-filing, but in some situations USCIS can place the applicant in removal proceedings—making legal guidance critical.
Do I need to speak perfect English?
No. Applicants must demonstrate basic English ability, and some age-based exemptions apply.
How long does the naturalization process take?
Many cases are completed in 6–12 months, depending on USCIS workload and interview scheduling.
Schedule a free consultation with the Law Office of Andrew R. Sones to receive guidance tailored to your situation.
