A person may become a U.S. citizen (1) by birth or (2) through naturalization.
If you are married to a U.S. citizen, you must physically reside in the U.S. at least accumulative eighteen months prior to applying for naturalization. If you are not married to a U.S. citizen, then you must physically reside in the U.S. at least accumulative thirty months prior to applying for naturalization.
The time it takes to be naturalized varies from one local office to another. In 1997, in many places, it took over 2 years to process an application. USCIS continues to improve the naturalization process. As of October 2001, USCIS reported that it takes, on average, between 6 and 9 months to become naturalized.
If you are a U.S. citizen, you, you have the right to vote in national, state, and local elections. Besides, you have the right to travel on a U.S. passport under the protection of U.S. government. And you may sponsor relatives, such as your parents, spouse, children, brothers and sisters for permanent resident status in the U.S.
Any child born in the U.S. automatically acquires U.S. citizenship, even if the child's mother was in the U.S. illegally. This provision does not apply to a child whose parent was a foreign diplomat at the time of birth.
The Child Citizenship Act (CCA) effective on February 27, 2001 represents a significant and important change in the nationality laws of the U.S. Under the new law, most foreign born children adopted by U.S. citizens will automatically acquire U.S. citizenship on the date they immigrate to the U.S.
The prospective citizen must have the ability to read, write, and speak ordinary English. This is determined by a test administered by an immigration examiner.