Citizenship & Naturalization
From green card to Oath of Allegiance, prepared and reviewed at every step.
Citizenship & naturalization
What is naturalization?
Naturalization is how a lawful permanent resident becomes a U.S. citizen: a review of your whole immigration history, an English and civics test, then the Oath.
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Time as a resident is the starting point.
Most applicants naturalize after five years as a permanent resident, or three years married to and living with the same U.S. citizen. Long absences can interrupt that residence.
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The application looks back at everything.
The application asks about your travel, your taxes, your household, and any contact with law enforcement, and the officer re-examines how you obtained your green card.
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The interview has two halves.
An officer reviews the application with you and tests your English alongside a set of civics questions. Exemptions exist for age, years as a resident, and disability.
Our approach
How Olvera Law Office prepares a naturalization case.
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Screen for risk before you file.
Naturalization reopens your whole record, so we look for what an application would surface — an old order, a misrepresentation, an arrest — and say when a records request should come first.
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File a complete, accurate application.
We prepare the application with the residence, travel, tax, and household evidence an officer will ask for, so the file answers its own questions before the interview.
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Prepare you for the interview.
We work through the questions officers ask, the civics test as it is administered today, and what citizenship changes about petitioning for a family member.
Eligibility
Eligibility.
Most applicants qualify through five years as a permanent resident, or three years married to a U.S. citizen.
You also have to show continuous residence and physical presence for that period, demonstrate good moral character, read, write and speak basic English, pass the civics test, and take the Oath.
Long trips abroad, unfiled taxes, missed child support, and arrests — even old or dismissed ones — complicate an application, and some make filing genuinely risky.
Book a Consultation
Start with a consultation.
As an immigration attorney, Mosiah Olvera reviews your case, identifies the strongest path forward, and helps you take the next step.
Related services
Explore related immigration services.
Your case may touch more than one area of immigration law.