Citizenship and Naturalization

There are many advantages to becoming a U.S. citizen—including helping family members immigrate to the United States, traveling with a U.S. passport, and voting in U.S. elections. Millions of lawful permanent residents are eligible to naturalize but need support to take the important step of becoming a U.S. citizen.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) provides critical support to organizations helping immigrants navigate the naturalization process. We provide trainings and technical assistance, publish the top practitioner’s guide, Naturalization and U.S. Citizenship: The Essential Legal Guide, engage in federal and local advocacy. Through the national New Americans Campaign, we also develop and disseminate best practices in providing access to naturalization services.

Latest in Citizenship and Naturalization

An Overview of Public Charge

12/14/2018

This advisory seeks to provide practitioners with current information about the status of public charge. This information is current as of December 2018. On October 10, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule related to public charge in the Federal Register. The proposed rule is not current law. No new regulation has been implemented and any change will require a...

Public Charge and Naturalization

11/21/2018

This practice advisory provides an update on public charge for advocates providing naturalization legal assistance. The advisory briefly discusses the legal standard for assessing public charge and then discusses how to advise lawful permanent residents looking to naturalize. It covers issues related to the proposed rule on public charge that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published in...

Fee Waiver Public Comment Template

11/13/2018

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is attempting to transform the fee waiver application process by making it more difficult for individuals to obtain fee waivers when seeking immigration relief. On September 28, 2018, it issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to drastically change the process to request a fee waiver. Most notably, the proposal would remove receipt of means-tested benefits...

Military Naturalization Webinar

11/12/2018

The United States permits individuals who are not U.S. citizens to enlist in the military and, in recognition of their military service, naturalize more quickly. This webinar will provide an overview of the vital role immigrants play in our nation’s military, recent changes to the expedited naturalization process for military service members, and the basics of military and veterans naturalization. It will also present best practices on naturalizing military service members, veterans, and their families.

To access the materials that were used during this webinar, please...

Acquisition & Derivation Quick Reference Charts

10/05/2018

These three charts outline the different requirements for acquiring and deriving citizenship. Because the law governing acquisition and derivation has changed many times and is generally not retroactive, these charts detail what the eligibility requirements are depending on the time period in question. Each chart has extensive footnotes that provide explanations about the legal requirements,...