The naturalization process
About this video
This video walks through the steps of the naturalization process that noncitizens follow to become US citizens. After checking eligibility and waiting three or five years, applicants file an N-400, attend a biometrics appointment, pass an interview with English and civics tests, and finally take an oath of allegiance.
You'll be able to
- list the main steps of the naturalization process in order.
- describe the two parts of the naturalization exam.
- explain what happens at the oath of allegiance ceremony.
Key words
- naturalization
- The process a noncitizen goes through to become a US citizen.
- N-400
- The Application for Naturalization form.
- biometrics appointment
- A meeting where an applicant's fingerprints are added to their records.
- USCIS
- US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency whose officials interview applicants.
- oath of allegiance
- A public promise to be loyal to the US, obey its laws and perform duties if needed.
Transcript
- [Instructor] In this video, we're going to discuss the naturalization process, which noncitizens go through in order to gain their US citizenship. Heads up that we won't be talking about the eligibility requirements that noncitizens must meet, or any of the challenges that they might face along the path to naturalization.
We'll cover those in other videos. This is just an overview of what happens at each step in the process. If a noncitizen wants to start the naturalization process, the first step is for them to determine if they are eligible to become a US citizen. Then, they have to wait.
If they are married to a current US citizen, they have to wait three years. If they are not, they have to wait five years. During this time, many immigrants take special classes to prepare for citizenship. After the waiting period, if they are at least 18 years old, and have been a resident of the state where they intend to file for at least three months, they may file an Application for Naturalization, an N-400.
Once they've submitted their application, they must attend a biometrics appointment to have their fingerprints added to their records. Then they'll have to complete an interview with an official from US Citizenship and Immigration Services to ensure that they meet the necessary requirements, and to conduct the naturalization exam.
The exam has two parts: an English language test, with questions about reading, writing, and speaking English, and a civics test, with 10 questions on basic facts about the history and government of the United States. If the applicant gets six of the 10 questions right, they pass, and their application is approved.
The final step in the naturalization process is to attend a ceremony to pledge an oath of allegiance. The noncitizen swears to be loyal to the United States above all, to obey the Constitution and other laws, and to perform military or other duties if needed. Then, they sign a document, and are declared a citizen of the United States.
And if they have any children under the age of 18, their children automatically become naturalized citizens too. In the next video, we'll go into more detail about the eligibility requirements for naturalization.
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