United States Citizenship

*The United States of America has a population that is close to 300 million people. The vast majority of these people are citizens of the US.

-Citizen: A citizen is a person who has all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities that a government of a political area grants or imposes on them.

*There are 3 ways in which a person can become a citizen of the United States:

-Jus Soli: This is a Latin phrase that means law of the soil. A person who is a citizen based on Jus Soli is a citizen because he or she is born in the US or in any territory of the United States. This definition of citizenship is outlined in the 14th Amendment. The only exception to this rule is a person who is born in the United States to parents who are in the US on official business of a foreign government.

-Jus Sanguinis: This is a Latin phrase that means law of blood. A person who is a citizen based on Jus Sanguinis is a citizen because one or both of their parents are citizens of the United States. This makes it possible for a person who is not born in the United States to be a natural born American citizen.

-Naturalization: A person living in the US who is not a citizen through native birth or through blood can go through a process called naturalization to gain American citizenship. There are 5 qualifications an immigrant must meet to gain citizenship. These 5 qualifications are as follows:

-Person must have entered the US legally. (There are however exceptions to this rule.)

- Person must be of good moral character.

- Person must declare their support of the principles of American government.

- Person must be able to prove they can read, write, and speak English. (Applicants over 50 years old who have lived in the US for over 20 years are exempt from this rule.)

- Person must have basic knowledge of American history and American government.

*Many immigrants meet the qualifications for citizenship; they must however go through a few formal steps in order to become a citizen. The steps they must go through are as follows:
-Person must file a petition requesting citizenship.

-Person must be at least 18 years old. (A non-citizen under 18 can only become a citizen if at least one of their parents becomes a naturalized citizen.)

-Person must live in the United States for at least 5 continuous years before filing the petition for citizenship unless he or she is married to a US citizen, in that case the person must live in the US for at least 3 continuous years.

-Person must go through a formal hearing conducted by Immigration and Naturalization Services in which they are questioned about their past, and about their moral character. They must also present 2 witnesses to testify on their behalf.

-Person must pass a test in which they can demonstrate a basic knowledge of American History, and American Government.

-Person must go to another hearing in which a federal judge administers the American oath of allegiance, the person must also formally denounce allegiance to any other government. After this oath is administered the person becomes a naturalized citizen of the United States of America.
-Naturalized citizens have all the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities of natural born citizens. There is only one exception to this rule: Naturalized citizens may not serve as President or Vice-President of the United States.