Being a U.S. Citizen
Naturalization Process |
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One way to become a citizen of the United States is by going through the naturalization process. There are 3 steps to the process, which are listed below:
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Step #1: Person who wishes to gain citizenship...
-Signs Declaration of Intention that is then handed over to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
-Person must wait 5 years; only exception is for person married to U.S. citizen- their wait is shortened to 3 years
-Can take classes while waiting
-After waiting time passes, person must stay in state where they please for 3 months (they are referred to as an alien)
-They then seek citizenship
*Must be +18 years of age to participate in process*
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Step #2: Person who wishes to gain citizenship...
-Person is interviewed by an USCIS
-Person takes citizenship test
-USCIS decides if person will be accepted or denied citizenship
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Step #3: Person who wishes to gain citizenship...
-Goes to a ceremony and pledges oath of allegiance to the U.S.
-Person signs a document and they are then considered a citizen of the United States of America
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How a Citizen can Lose His Citizenship
A person can lose their U.S. citizenship in 3 different ways: Denaturalization, Expatriation, and Punishment for a Crime.
Legal Aliens |
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The U.S. states there are 2 types of legal aliens: Resident Aliens and Nonresident Aliens.
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Resident Alien:
-Not from U.S
-Not a citizen of U.S.
-Will stay in U.S. permanently
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Nonresident Alien:
-Not from U.S.
-Not a citizen of U.S.
-Will stay for designated short amount of time
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*Refugees are also legal and leave their country usually because they are in danger. They will not stay in U.S. permanently.*
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Rights of Legal Aliens:
They Do: "...hold jobs, own property, attend public schools, recieve other government services, pay taxes, and are entitled to legal protection" (Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, and You).
They Don't: Recieve all political rights that U.S. citizens have.
Illegal Aliens |
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