What we handle
Straightforward applications and the ones with something in the record that needs care.
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Applications for naturalization
Form N-400, including for spouses of U.S. citizens who can apply after three years.
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Eligibility reviews
Long trips abroad, arrests, tax filings and past immigration issues, checked before anything is filed.
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Interview preparation
Practice with the questions the officer is likely to ask, and the English and civics test.
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Disability exceptions
Form N-648, for applicants whose disability prevents them from meeting the English or civics requirement.
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Certificates of citizenship
Form N-600, for people who became citizens through a parent and need proof.
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Denials
Requests for a hearing on Form N-336, and review in federal district court.
How the process works
Five steps, from the eligibility check to the oath.
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Check eligibility
We count the years of permanent residence, the time spent in the United States and the months in your state. We also review anything that bears on good moral character.
Who: you and the attorney
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File Form N-400
You can file up to 90 days before you reach the required period of residence. We file with the documents that support anything unusual in your history.
Who: the firm
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Biometrics
USCIS takes your fingerprints and photograph at a local support center for background checks.
Who: you attend; USCIS schedules
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Interview and test
An officer reviews your application under oath and gives the English and civics test. If you do not pass part of the test, you get a second chance at that part.
Who: an attorney attends with you
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The oath
After approval you take the Oath of Allegiance at a ceremony. You become a citizen when you take the oath, not when the application is approved.
Who: USCIS or a federal court
Other paths to citizenship
Not everyone needs Form N-400. We check these first.
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N-600
Citizenship through a parent
Children who were permanent residents in the custody of a U.S. citizen parent may already be citizens. The certificate proves it.
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Military
Naturalization through service
Members and veterans of the U.S. armed forces may apply with fewer residence requirements, and sometimes without any.
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N-648
Disability exception
A medical professional certifies the disability, and the applicant is excused from the English or civics requirement.
Representative matters
A few recent naturalization matters, described without client names.
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Travel
Naturalization for a consultant whose work abroad raised questions about continuous residence, with a record of the home and taxes kept here.
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Record
Approval for an applicant with a decades-old arrest, after obtaining the court disposition and explaining it at the interview.
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Certificate
Certificate of citizenship for a man who had become a citizen at age 12 through his mother’s naturalization.
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Hearing
Reversal on Form N-336 of a denial based on a misreading of the applicant’s tax filings.
Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case turns on its own facts.
Common questions
Does a long trip abroad break continuous residence?
A trip of more than six months raises a question the officer will ask about. A trip of a year or more generally breaks it. We review each trip before filing.
Will I lose my other citizenship?
U.S. law does not require you to give it up, but your other country’s law may. We suggest checking with that country’s consulate.
Can my children become citizens when I do?
Children under 18 who are permanent residents and live in your legal and physical custody generally become citizens automatically when you naturalize.