Citizenship Through Marriage: Your Complete Guide

Obtaining U.S. citizenship through marriage is a dream for many immigrants and their families. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps, requirements, and key considerations for achieving this milestone. At CitizenPath, we understand the challenges you face and are here to support you every step of the way.

Understanding Citizenship Through Marriage

Becoming a U.S. citizen through naturalization is a process by which a non-citizen voluntarily acquires U.S. citizenship. To qualify, individuals must meet specific requirements, including holding a green card for a certain period, demonstrating continuous residence, showing good moral character, and passing English and civics tests. Normally, applicants must be permanent residents for at least five years in order to naturalize. For the permanent resident spouses of U.S. citizens, there is a special provision in the law that allows you to obtain citizenship through marriage in just three years. Successful applicants take an Oath of Allegiance, completing their journey to U.S. citizenship, which grants them the full rights and responsibilities of being an American citizen.

Green Card Through Marriage

If you want to immigrate to the United States and obtain a green card through a spouse, this comes before naturalization. The green card is an intermediate step towards eventual citizenship through naturalization. To get more information on immigrating, go to green card through marriage.

Eligibility Requirements

The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA §319(a)) describes the special provisions for the spouse of a U.S. citizen who wants to become a citizen. To qualify for U.S. citizenship through marriage, you must meet the following requirements:

• Permanent Residency: You must be a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) for at least three years.
• Marital Union: You must be married to and living with your U.S. citizen spouse for the entire three-year period.
• Continuous Residence: You must have lived continuously in the United States for at least three years before applying.
• Physical Presence: You must have been physically present in the United States for at least 18 months out of the three years.
• Good Moral Character: You must demonstrate good moral character, which includes following laws and not having serious criminal offenses.
• English and Civics Knowledge: You must have a basic understanding of English and U.S. government and history.

For a more detailed discussion of each of the eligibility criteria, visit our page on citizenship requirements.

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