Many a times in our daily walk of life we would be confronted with the question, "Are we indeed citizens of the United States?" Just the answer, "Yes, I am a citizen" would not suffice.
Rethink. Organizations,Companies require proof and it is for this reason it would be best if you have your citizen certificate on hand always. Were you to wait till you need them, your may run out of luck and the reason being it does take time for you to get the documents you need and to prepare your citizenship form.
For many of us the question that looms large in our minds is “My parents were citizens of US, but do I qualify for US citizenship? If yes, what citizenship form do I get to fill.”
Lets analyze this in a broader sense by checking as to who can qualify to obtain the citizen certificate.
You can obtain a Certificate of Citizenship if you fall into one of the following categories:
US Citizenship through Parents - ( Even though a child is born outside the US, the child can automatically acquire US citizenship if at least one parent was a US citizen at the time of the child's birth.)
US Citizenship through Adoption - (Children under 18 years of age holding "Green Card"s may be naturalized if petitioned for by a US citizen parent.)
US Citizenship Retention - ( Individuals born and raised outside the US, being unaware of having acquired US citizenship through their parents or grandparents and have therefore failed to fulfill US residency requirements may claim US citizenship through the Doctrine of Constructive Retention.)
Application for certificate of citizenship:
If all the above criteria fits your case the citizenship form that you would use to get your citizen certificate would be N-600.
Lets start thinking as to what you as an applicant will be confronted with while filling up the citizenship form N-600.
To start with, the applicant will find that his citizenship form(N 600) would contain about 10 parts. The citizenship form is segregated in such a way that you will be asked to fill in details about yourself and your parents. The details elicited in the form are exhaustive that will help the immigration official to decide if you are entitled to receive the certificate.
Process associated with your citizenship form N 600:
1. Prepare your citizenship form Form N 600 “Application for Certificate of Citizenship”.
2. Get two passport-style photographs.
3. Gather the necessary supporting documents.
4. Make a copy of all that you are going to send to the USCIS.
5. Mail the form, photos, fees and supporting documents to the USCIS.
6. Wait for written notification from the USCIS regarding their decision on Form N-600. Their decision will be based on whether or not you have established your right for the certificate.
The processing time would be anywhere between 5-6 months approximately.
Not many are aware the importance of having their citizen certificate. Unlike the passport the certificate does not have an expiry date. Though your certificate cannot dispense the importance of having a US passport it is always advisable to always have one at your disposal at all times.
