Time to become a U.S Citizen!

Kyougu

The important data:

-27 Years Old
-Legal resident for 18 years
-Born in Mexico
-Both parents are American Citizen (Mom natural born, dad took citizen ship tested)
-Graduated college, currently employeed.
-No felonies
-Single

So how hard will it be? About how much money should I be looking to spend? Should I get an attorney or can I just do everything myself?

wogi

There's a $675 filing fee - most of that is just for filing, something like 75 or 80 dollars of it is a fee for "biometric filing" which means they take your fingerprints. I do not believe they return it if your app is rejected.

Also, there's a test - its mostly high school level history stuff. You can get a workbook with sample questions and answers to help you study, which as I understand is pretty helpful. Compared to the cost of having to do it again, they aren't very expensive at all. I've had the opportunity to take one of those tests (I'm a natural born citizen) and I found it pretty easy. But then, I'm a nerd for history.

John Matrix

It's pretty easy. I'm about to file my application in the next few months. The form is only 3-4 pages long. Just send it in with the $ (I think the above figure is correct) and they'll set a biometrics appointment where they take your fingerprints and your photograph. Pretty simple, and the citizenship test shouldn't be an issue at all for a college grad.

Check out Craig Ferguson's citizenship application/test/oath on youtube, pretty funny stuff. I'm also led to believe that he's a fellow geek. Plus, he has a badass tattoo that I consider getting every now and again.

wmelon

Kyougu wrote: »

The important data:

-27 Years Old
-Legal resident for 18 years
-Born in Mexico
-Both parents are American Citizen (Mom natural born, dad took citizen ship tested)
-Graduated college, currently employeed.
-No felonies
-Single

So how hard will it be? About how much money should I be looking to spend? Should I get an attorney or can I just do everything myself?

Technically, since your mother is a natural born US citizen, you are already a citizen. All you'll need to do is go down and fill out a form.

1 U.S Citizen Parent: If you were born abroad and only one parent was a U.S. Citizen when you were born, you are a U.S. Citizen if that parent lived at least 5 years in the United States before you were born, in which 2 of those 5 years were after he or she attained the age of 14. Same as in the previous scenario, your birth registration with the U.S. Consul abroad is your proof. Your parent’s birth certificate or naturalization certificate, combined with dated bank statements, tax returns, employment records, school records, or any other document to show that he or she meets the residence and physical presence requirements in this eligibility scenario, then you can also either apply for a U.S. Passport or file Form N-600 with the USCIS.

source

LearnedHand

If the following applies, you need only declare the citizenship (as opposed to the naturalization process). So no tests or any of that nonsense.

Child born abroad to one U.S. Citizen parent and one non-U.S. Citizen...
... between December 24, 1952 and November 13, 1986. A child born outside of the United States to one U.S. Citizen parent and one non-U.S. Citizen parent, may be entitled to citizenship providing the U.S. Citizen parent had, prior to the birth of the child, been physically present in the United States for a period of ten years, at least five years of which were after s/he reached the age of fourteen.

Or if they weren't married:

A child born outside of the United States and out of wedlock to a U.S. Citizen mother is entitled to U.S. Citizenship providing the U.S. Citizen mother had been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of at least one year at some time prior to the birth of her child.

It seems that it's easier to qualify if your parents weren't married but I must be reading it wrong.

Anyway, I've looked at this stuff extensively. I declared citizenship in a country and I'm building for naturalisation in a third country. You don't need a lawyer. Just look at some embassy websites. They usually have this information.

fightinfilipino

naturalization isn't difficult if the facts you put in the OP are true. but the other posters are right, if your mom was a U.S. citizen when you were born, you can claim citizenship through her, which is a much simpler process. you're going to want the N-600 form.

when you say "no felonies", does that mean you have some sort of criminal record? misdemeanors? any other criminal law encounters? you have to be careful, because certain types of crimes can affect you negatively, even ones that are not felonies.