• Naturalizing as a U.S. citizen requires residency in the United States.USA Flagge image by glockemann from Fotolia.com
  
  Naturalization as a U.S. citizen is a privilege granted to permanent residents after meeting specific requirements set out by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Qualifications for permanent residency are based on the length of residency in the United States and how the immigrant maintains that residency. Once the correct term of residency is achieved, a permanent resident is eligible to apply for naturalization.
  
  

When to File

• Naturalization requires a period of residency as a permanent resident--a green card holder--in the United States. Most permanent residents become eligible to file for naturalization after five years of permanent residence. Qualified spouses are an exception; they are eligible to file after three years of permanent residence. The residency is considered to begin on the date shown on the green card. Time spent in the United States on a visa prior to adjusting to permanent resident status does not count toward naturalization.
  
  

Residency and Physical Presence

• The prospective citizen must also maintain residency in the United States, including a physical presence. Absences from the United States of more than six months will break the continuous residency requirement and render the resident unable to apply for citizenship. This is considered to be abandoning residence. Certain government employees and spouses of those employees who have had to work abroad for extended periods of time are exceptions to this rule. They may file form N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes, to preserve their resident status while abroad.
  
  

Application and Oath

• The final step to naturalization is filing the N-400, Application for Naturalization. This begins the naturalization process. Once the application is filed, the resident will need to attend a biometrics appointment to be photographed and fingerprinted, as well as attend an in-person interview, which will be used to determine eligibility for citizenship. The interview contains a brief test of English skills and 10 civics questions. If the application is granted, the applicant will receive a letter with the time and date of the oath ceremony and will receive a certificate of naturalization.