Citizenship Law - Naturalization Law

The Committee considers matters of administrative law, procedure, and practice relating to immigration, naturalization, and aliens.

Title 8 of the United States Code outlines the role of aliens and nationality in the United States Code.

The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA or Board) is the highest administrative body for interpreting and applying immigration laws. It is authorized up to 15 Board Members, including the Chairman and Vice Chairman who share responsibility for Board management. The Board is located at EOIR headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia. Generally, the Board does not conduct courtroom proceedings - it decides appeals by conducting a "paper review" of cases. On rare occasions, however, the Board does hear oral arguments of appealed cases, predominately at headquarters.

This page provides you with basic information on Immigration Forms. For more specific information on each form, please see the specific information page for that form. USCIS provides most public use forms free of charge through this website in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF).

Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to a foreign citizen or national after he or she fulfills the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). In most cases, an applicant for naturalization must be a permanent resident (green card holder) before filing. Except for certain U.S. military members and their dependents, naturalization can only be granted in the United States.

The Immigration and Nationality Act, or INA, was created in 1952. Before the INA, a variety of statutes governed immigration law but were not organized in one location. The McCarran-Walter bill of 1952, Public Law No. 82-414, collected and codified many existing provisions and reorganized the structure of immigration law. The Act has been amended many times over the years, but is still the basic body of immigration law.

The Office of Citizenship will provide federal leadership, tools, and resources to proactively foster immigrant integration. We will engage and support partners to welcome immigrants, promote English language learning and education on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and encourage U.S. citizenship.

The Office of the Chief Immigration Judge oversees the administration of the Immigration Courts nationwide and exercises administrative supervision over Immigration Judges. Immigration Judges are responsible for conducting Immigration Court proceedings and act independently in deciding matters before them. Immigration Judges are tasked with resolving cases in a manner that is timely, impartial, and consistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act, federal regulations, and precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals and federal appellate courts.

Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of the United States. The requirements have become more explicit since the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, with the most recent changes to statutory law having been made by the United States Congress in 2001.

USCIS will secure America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.

U.S. Immigration Support is a leading publisher of legal books and immigration guides. Our mission is to help immigrants through the complex United States immigration system with our do-it-yourself immigration guides. We are dedicated to providing the most current information on immigration to the United States, including U.S. visas, Green Cards and citizenship application guides

The concept of dual nationality means that a person is a citizen of two countries at the same time. Each country has its own citizenship laws based on its own policy.Persons may have dual nationality by automatic operation of different laws rather than by choice. For example, a child born in a foreign country to U.S. citizen parents may be both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the country of birth.

Under 8 C.F.R. § 292.1 and 1292.1, persons entitled to represent individuals in matters before the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS"), and the Immigration Courts and Board of Immigration Appeals ("Board"), or the DHS alone, include, among others, accredited representatives. Any such representatives must be designated by a qualified organization, as recognized by the Board. A recognized organization must apply to the Board for accreditation of such a representative or representatives.

The United States Certificate of Naturalization Application Guide was developed to help naturalized U.S. citizens complete and file their own requests for a copy of their Certificate of United States Naturalization. This is a clear, step-by-step guide that explains how to efficiently and quickly obtain a copy of your certificate of United States Naturalization. Please note, you should only apply for a replacement certificate if your current certificate of naturalization is incorrect, lost, mutilated, or destroyed.

During your naturalization eligibility interview, a USCIS officer will test your ability to read, write, and speak English (unless you are exempt from the English requirements). You will also be given a civics test in English (to test your knowledge and understanding of U.S. history and government) unless you are exempt. Even if exempt from the English test, you will need to take the civics test unless you qualify for a waiver. You may also be eligible to take the civics test in your native language with the assistance of an interpreter if you qualify.

The U.S. Citizenship Test is a required step in the naturalization process. All U.S. citizenship applicants, with some exceptions, must pass the citizenship test before taking the Oath of Allegiance and officially becoming United States citizens. The U.S. Citizenship Test Study Guide was developed by U.S. Immigration Support covers both the current and the new redesigned test including the 100 civics questions and answers. Additional topics making up the naturalization exam include an English oral, reading and writing test in addition to 10 questions about American government, civics, and American history.

Articles written by attorneys and experts worldwide discussing legal aspects related to Immigration including: extradition, green cards, naturalization and citizenship, visas, work permits and visas.