Steps to Citizenship in the U S By

Steps to Citizenship in the U. S By Aleana Mullenhour Kadalynn Francone

Bases for Citizenship To become a citizen of the United States you must either: • be born in the United States • be born to at least one American citizen anywhere in the world OR • go through the naturalization process

Citizenship by Birth If you are born in the United States, the government automatically recognizes that you as a citizen. The government also recognizes that you are a citizen of the US if you were born outside the US, but at least one of your parents is an American citizen.

Naturalization If you are not born in the U. S, and neither of your parents are American citizens, you can receive citizenship by going through the process of naturalization.

The Naturalization Process in 6 steps

Requirements • Applicant must be 18 years or older • A lawful permanent resident of the U. S • Resident and physically present in the U. S for at least 5 years at time of application • Must have lived in the state where the petition is filed for at least 3 months • Other exceptions include citizenship through marriage

Other requirements • Applicants of the naturalization process must be able to read, speak, write and understand the English language. • They must also have a general understanding of U. S history, politics and government. • Applicants must also be able to prove that they are a good, moral character.

THE Oath: "I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God. "

created by Aleana Mullenhour Kadalynn Francone