citizenship

America has one of the most generous citizenship policies in the world, extending citizenship to a wide variety of groups, including:

All children born in the United States
Children born outside the United States to a U.S. citizen parent, so long as that parent has lived in the United States for a sufficient amount of time to transmit U.S. citizenship
Legal permanent residents who have lived in the United States for five years or more without committing a crime or otherwise doing anything that adversely affects a finding of good moral character.

For legal permanent residents who are elderly or disabled, different and less difficult rules may apply for naturalization. For a thorough analysis of your unique situation, consult with a citizenship lawyer. Philadelphia residents can rely Tran Law Associates for these complicated naturalization law matters.

Within each route for establishing citizenship, several conditions need to be met before U.S. citizenship will recognized. The rules of citizenship vary greatly according to factors such as the date of birth to establish birthright citizenship, and the gender of the parent transmitting citizenship. Mothers, for example, can transmit citizenship more easily to children born out of wedlock than fathers can to their children born out of wedlock. In addition, citizenship acquired through parentage will sometimes require the individual claiming citizenship to spend a certain amount of time in residence in the United States in order to retain this right. Also, if you have a criminal history or medical issues in your background, you need to carefully evaluate how these issues will impact your naturalization petition before filing it.

Another common issue with naturalization is whether the applicant has voted in any U.S. election. Non-citizens are not permitted to vote in U.S. elections, and yet sometimes legal permanent residents vote, often without intending to violate any law. This can happen when a legal permanent resident applies for a driver's license and is asked to register to vote. Oftentimes, legal permanent residents assume that if they are being asked to register to vote then they must have the right to vote. Ironically, state laws that attempt to increase voter registration of citizens may inadvertently encourage non-citizens to vote.

As you can see, citizenship and naturalization law often involves complicated rules that can easily trip up those unfamiliar with them. Citizenship is too important a right to leave to chance. If you are unsure of how to proceed with your citizenship or naturalization issue, consult with an experienced citizenship lawyer. Contact Tran Law Associates through the above form for more information.

Count on a Philadelphia Citizenship Lawyer