The first step in applying for citizenship through naturalization is to enter the US and secure a green card in order to establish permanent residency. The next step is to ensure eligibility. The next step is to file US citizenship application Form N-400 to commence the naturalization process. You may file Form N-400 if you are over 18 years old, are eligible for naturalization, and have a green card.
From: http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html Natural-born citizen Who is a natural-born citizen? Who, in other words, is a citizen at birth, such that that person can be a President someday? The 14th Amendment defines citizenship this way: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." But even this does not get specific enough. As usual, the Constitution provides the framework for the law, but it is the law that fills in the gaps. Currently, Title 8 of the U.S. Code fills in those gaps. Section 1401 defines the following as people who are "citizens of the United States at birth:" * Anyone born inside the United States * * Any Indian or Eskimo born in the United States, provided being a citizen of the U.S. does not impair the person's status as a citizen of the tribe * Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S. * Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year and the other parent is a U.S. national * Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year * Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21 * Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time) * A final, historical condition: a person born before 5/24/1934 of an alien father and a U.S. citizen mother who has lived in the U.S. * There is an exception in the law - the person must be "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States. This would exempt the child of a diplomat, for example, from this provision. Anyone falling into these categories is considered natural-born, and is eligible to run for President or Vice President. These provisions allow the children of military families to be considered natural-born, for example. Separate sections handle territories that the United States has acquired over time, such as Puerto Rico (8 USC 1402), Alaska (8 USC 1404), Hawaii (8 USC 1405), the U.S. Virgin Islands (8 USC 1406), and Guam (8 USC 1407). Each of these sections confer citizenship on persons living in these territories as of a certain date, and usually confer natural-born status on persons born in those territories after that date. For example, for Puerto Rico, all persons born in Puerto Rico between April 11, 1899, and January 12, 1941, are automatically conferred citizenship as of the date the law was signed by the President (June 27, 1952). Additionally, all persons born in Puerto Rico on or after January 13, 1941, are natural-born citizens of the United States. Note that because of when the law was passed, for some, the natural-born status was retroactive. The law contains one other section of historical note, concerning the Panama Canal Zone and the nation of Panama. In 8 USC 1403, the law states that anyone born in the Canal Zone or in Panama itself, on or after February 26, 1904, to a mother and/or father who is a United States citizen, was "declared" to be a United States citizen. Note that the terms "natural-born" or "citizen at birth" are missing from this section.
The first two requirements for becoming naturalized are:
Other criteria that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services will use to determine your eligibility for naturalization:
The application process for naturalization will include:
Citations:
Citizenship Through Naturalization. Last modified January 22, 2013. Accessed
November 9, 2014.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, A Guide to Naturalization, Doc. No. M-476,
at 17 (Mar. 2012).
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, 10 Steps to Naturalization: Understanding
the Process of Becoming a U.S. Citizen, Doc. No. M-1051 (2012).
Your parents need to be citizens of the country of which you are a citizen.
The person must be a lawful, permanent resident for five years
Yes. All legal authorities agree on this. There is an open question of whether a child of citizens NOT born on U.S. soil is also a natural born citizen, but no disagreement about this aspect of it.
Any person who is born in US territory is considered as a native born citizen,(Children born of diplomats in foreign embassies within the US are not natural born US citizens because foreign embassies are considered to belong to nation that owns the embassy. ) There is a question about whether children born of US citizens outside of the US are natural born . This phase appears in the US Constitution as one of the requirement of the president, but the Supreme court has never ruled on its exact meaning.
California is an American State. So, naturally, anyone born in the state becomes an American citizen.
Yes, all babies born to American women who are traveling or working outside of America are still automatically American citizens, like John McCain, born in Panama and Shilo Jolie-Pitt. All natural born American citizens can aspire to the presidency.
According to the Constitution, the candidate must be 35 or older, a natural born American citizen and has lived here for 14 years or more.
His parents were American citizens, so even though he was born in the Philippines he is a "natural-born" US citizen.
No. One of the rules is that you must be a natural born American citizen.
Be a natural-born American citizen. If you were not born a U.S. citizen, then nothing else matters.
ones who are born in the country they are citizens
There are two different ways in which a natural born citizen can be created. By American law, all people born on American soil are considered natural born citizens. In addition, people who are born overseas to American parents are also classified as natural born citizens.
No, he was born in Austria. Therefore he cannot be a natural born citizen.
Yes, according to the U.S. Constitution, one must be a natural-born citizen of the United States to be eligible for the presidency. "Natural-born" means being a citizen by birth, either through being born on U.S. soil or through being born to at least one U.S. citizen parent.
Hard to find anything on this topic. If not then Mitt is not natural born...
A person born in the territory of the United States of America or to United States citizen parents would be a natural born citizen of the United States.
…Whether Mr. Hughes is, or is not, a ‘natural born’ citizen within the meaning of the Constitution…presents an interesting inquiry… He was born in this country and is beyond question ‘native born.’ But is there not a distinction between ‘native born’ and ‘natural born?’ At the time he was born his father and mother were subjects of England…The day after Mr. Hughes was born his father had a right, as an English subject, to go to the British consul, at New York, and to present his wife and infant and to claim any assistance....Natural born: born on American soil to American citizens, which is a subset ofNative born: a child born on American soil is a native citizen even if parents are not.
A person born in the territory of the United States of America or to United States citizen parents would be a natural born citizen of the United States.
Yes, the Constitution specifically says the president must be at least 35 years old and a natural-born American citizen.