by Carole Devine

Created on: January 26, 2010

The benefits of American citizenship are often taken for granted for those of us who have obtained citizenship at birth, either by virtue of being born on U.S. soil or, with some exceptions, by virtue of being the child of at least one U.S. citizen.  Many natural born citizens are aware that only citizens can vote, serve on a jury, apply for federal jobs, or run for public office (including the ability to run for president), but there are other benefits we take for granted that we enjoy simply by being U.S. citizens.  One is the right to travel to numerous countries without needing to secure a visa, and to remain abroad  (providing our host countries will allow us to) without jeopardizing our resident status in the U.S. For foreign born lawful permanent residents of the United States, obtaining U.S. citizenship allows all the above mentioned freedoms and rights, save the right to be president of the United States.  But it grants them another benefit very close to their hearts: while permanent residents can petition for their spouses and children to immigrate to the U.S., only U.S. citizens can petition for their parents and siblings to come and live permanently in the United States.

Given the important rights and privileges afforded to U.S. citizens, citizenship itself for most adult foreign nationals who hold permanent residency in the United States must be earned.  Below are the general requirements for obtaining U.S. citizenship through the naturalization process.  In order to be eligible for naturalization, a person:

Must file an Application for Naturalization (Form N400) in accordance with the instructions detailed on the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services’ (USCIS) website (www.uscis.gov).  The form itself and the instructions are downloadable from this site.  The cost for filing is $675 ($595 for filing the form; an additional $80 for biometric processing).  Military applicants, however, file for free. Must be at least 18 years old at the time of filing the Form N-400.   Those under 18 who have a U.S. citizen parent or parents may be eligible to derive citizenship through that parent.  He or she should check with their local U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) office or online at www.uscis.gov for more information on eligibility to derive citizenship through a parent or parents. Must have been lawfully admitted to the United States.  In general, this

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