From what we have seen in our office, applying for US citizenship may be one of those things that some clients think is unnecessary or something that clients keep putting off for whenever their Green Card will expire. However, we believe that applying for citizenship is usually a great idea because it comes with great benefits, and qualifying individuals should apply for U.S. citizenship now.

Let’s go over some of the benefits of being a U.S. citizen. First, U.S. citizens’ rights include having the right to vote in federal elections, eligibility for federal employment, and protection from deportation. Second, U.S. citizens can travel more freely because they can enter and leave the country without worrying about visa restrictions and can obtain assistance from U.S. embassies and consulates aboard if they encounter difficulties while traveling. Lastly, U.S. citizens can facilitate the process of bringing family members because they can sponsor certain family members for green cards.

Conversely, now, we have seen the federal government change some policies and rules in some immigration processes, this includes citizenship. Though immigration fees heavily increased for most immigration processes, the naturalization process fee increased very little jumping from $725 USD to $760 USD. Additionally, unlike other USCIS forms, the N-400 application form was simplified because it now contains far less questions than before. With this and the fact that we are in an election year, our office understands and interprets that the federal government is attempting to encourage qualifying individuals to apply for their citizenship.

Additionally, our office has seen N-400 application processing times at the quickest they have ever been. Before, N-400 applications usually had a duration of one year, but now the application roughly has a duration of five months, however, we have seen N-400 applications be approved as quick as two weeks. For these and many reasons, we encourage qualifying individuals to apply for their U.S. citizenship.

Do you want to learn more about the citizenship process or are you interested in applying, call us today at (915) 314-2363 to schedule a consultation today!