Naturalization Civic Test
To be eligible for Naturalization, Applicant has to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history , principle and form of government of the United states.(also known as “civics”).
There is " special consideration " in testing on United States history and government for Applicants who, on the date of filing their Naturalization Applications, are over 65 years old and have been Lawful Permanent Residents for at least 20 years.
Residence in the United States
An Applicant must have resided in the United States for at least five years as a Lawful Permanent Resident. Essentially this means the Applicant must have been a Lawful Permanent Resident and made the United States his/her home for the five years immediately prior to applying for Naturalization. In addition, the Applicant must have lived in the USCIS district or state where s/he files the petition for at least three months.
Exceptions to the five-years Residency Requirement
The spouse of a United States Citizen only needs to have lived in the United States for three years as a Lawful Permanent Resident. Such Applicant must have been married to the same United States Citizen for three years and the United States Citizen spouse must have been a Citizen for the entire three years. The marriage must be valid and the couple must have lived together for the three years immediately before the date of the filing of the Application and Naturalization interview. If the Applicant were to get divorced before applying for Naturalization, then the Applicant would have to wait until the full five years before qualifying for Naturalization.
Physical Presence in the United States
An Applicant must have been physically present in the United States for at least half (30 months) of the five-years residence period discussed above. The spouse of a United States Citizen only needs to have been physically in the United States for half of 3 years (18 months) instead of half the 5 years (30 months).
Discontinuity of Residence (Abandonment of Residence for Naturalization Purpose)
To qualify for Naturalization, an Applicant must show s/he has not disrupted his/her Residence in the United States. For an Applicant to show s/he has not disrupted her continuous residence, s/he must show that s/he has continuously maintained his/her residence in the United States for the five-years or three years period before applying for Naturalization. This is an issue for Applicants who have spent long period of time outside the United States. If an Applicant has left the United States for less than six months, then s/he will be found not to have disrupted the continuity of his/her residence.
If an Applicant has left the United States for one year or more such Applicant may be found to have disrupted the continuity of her residence. There are exceptions for people in the military, certain Employees and contractors of the United States government, certain people working for American corporations and public international organizations doing business abroad.
Additionally there are exceptions for certain religious workers. If a Naturalization Applicant is found to have disrupted the continuity of his/her residence because s/he was absent for one year or longer, s/he will not qualify for Naturalization. S/he must wait four years and one day (or two years and one day if s/he is married to a United States Citizen) from his/her return to the United States after his/her absence to reapply for Naturalization.
Attachment to the Principles of the Constitution
All Applicants for Naturalization must be willing to support and defend the United States and its Constitution. The Applicant declares his/her “attachment” to the United States and its Constitution when s/he takes the Oath of Allegiance.
An Applicant may be denied Citizenship for not being attached to the principles of the Constitution if s/he is hostile to the basic form of government in the United States, or does not believe in the principles of the Constitution. This requirement is to some extent a combination of fulfilling the requirement of believing in and taking the loyalty oath .
Link to
N-400:Application For Naturalization