Often times, our office receives inquiries about traveling documents and renewal for Green Cards. What is interesting is that many of these inquiries involve applicants that have been Permanent Residents for well over five (5) years. Many of these applicants are eligible for naturalization; yet they still do not pursue citizenship. Citizenship is not a burden nor is it a requirement. It is a privilege allowed upon immigrants to no longer be residents of this country but to belong to the United States once naturalized. It grants us the right to say that although we may have been born elsewhere, we are now American.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship Manual describes most accurately this important benefit and personal achievement:

The United States has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all parts of the world. The United States values the contributions of immigrants who continue to enrich this country and preserve its legacy as a land of freedom and opportunity. USCIS is proud of its role in maintaining our country’s tradition as a nation of immigrants and will administer immigration and naturalization benefits with integrity.

United States citizenship is a unique bond that unites people around civic ideals and a belief in the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The promise of citizenship is grounded in the fundamental value that all persons are created equal and serves as a unifying identity to allow persons of all backgrounds, whether native or foreign-born, to have an equal stake in the future of the United States.

Hiring a lawyer for citizenship can very likely be the difference in an approved application or one that is denied.