We looked at the first 4 steps in the process of attaining citizenship in the United States, the final 2 steps below complete the process……
STEP 5: ATTEND THE INTERVIEW FOR CITIZENSHIP
Once the task of fingerprinting is done you should wait for the date of appointment and the address for an interview with a USCIS officer. What happens during the interview is that the officer will peruse the N-400 form submitted by you and get confirmation to the answers given by you to all the questions. Your knowledge of English and of U S Civics and History will be tested by the officer.
STEP 6: OATH CEREMONY
This is the final step of the entire process!
Soon after the interview, you should be approved for citizenship. But the process does not get complete without an oath ceremony. In the oath ceremony you will swear loyalty to the United States of America. A certificate of Naturalization will then be sent to you, which states that you are finally, a U S Citizen.
The last step does call for a round of congratulations!
All the steps do not generally call for the services of an Immigration lawyer, but it would be prudent on your part to employ one, if your case is complicated and needs expert help.
Becoming a US citizen can give birth to many opportunities to a person who becomes a resident of the country. One, the citizen can vote and has access to a passport. What’s more, there is protection from the citizen getting deported to some other country.
But the process of citizenship requires some steps to be followed:
STEP 1: ELIGIBILITY: Are you eligible to apply for citizenship? Do you have lawful permanent residence, that is, a green card? Unless you have been sanctioned special waivers (which is very rare) you must have a green card first, before you can apply to be a citizen.
STEP 2: OVERCOMING INELIGIBILITY: Perhaps you are not eligible to become a citizen right now. Maybe a minor crime was committed by you, or for some other reason you are prevented from becoming a citizen. So you need to find the steps to overcome this obstacle to citizenship. An immigration lawyer who specializes in immigration and citizenship could be consulted.
STEP 3: FORM N-400 TO BE FILED: Some paperwork will have to be done once eligibility is established. The N-400 is the form which gets the process initiated. Along with the application a copy of your green card too should be attached.
STEP 4: FINGERPRINTING: Once your application is filed a background check will be done. A date will be given to you; you will then have to visit the local office where your fingerprinting will be done. FBI will carry out a background check on the fingerprint.
There are 2 more steps to complete the entire process, which we will look at in our next blog.
The Immigration Medical is an important part of the entire immigration journey for an aspirant who wishes to settle down in the US.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE IMMIGRATION EXAMINATION:
All records, such as the applicant’s employment, military, school or police documents and records will be scrutinized and these will be used to define whether the applicant has a history of harmful behavior, either physical or mental. Records are usually examined to rule out any disorders that could endanger the individual and the proximate society and could impact daily functioning and general health and well-being.
The applicant will be asked specifically about symptoms that are in relation to his or her muscular, pulmonary, cardiac and neuropsychiatric systems; symptoms will be looked out for by the doctor to see whether the applicant has any diseases that could make admissibility impossible.
A physical examination will be conducted by the doctor – the eyes, nose and throat, heart, lungs, stomach, nodes, skin, external organs etc. will be checked for infections. A mental examination will also be done; general intelligence, mood, judgment, behavior etc will be examined and assessed for any irregularities.
Some tests will also be done by the Civil Surgeon – blood test and X-rays are an inevitable part of the whole exercise.
Once you turn up for your appointment for the Green Card Medical you will be asked for your medical history which will then be reviewed by the USCIS-approved Civil Surgeon. You will be asked to notify the Surgeon as to the number of times that you have had to stay in hospital, or whether you have ever suffered or are suffering from a severe physical or mental condition, and also will be asked to state the number of times that you have fallen sick or stayed disabled.
The Surgeon will also ask you certain questions about your history – pertaining to drug, alcohol or psychoactive substances use, behavior that was harmful to society in the past, or any mental or psychiatric conditions not documented before.
The Surgeon will also go through chest X-Rays and other treatment documentation to see if there has been an instance of tuberculosis.
WHAT IF YOU ARE SICK AT THE TIME OF THE IMMIGRATION MEDICAL?
If it so happens that you have already fixed up an appointment for the medical exam and you suddenly fall sick then the Civil Surgeon could ask you to go back and only visit the doctor after you get better.
WHAT IF YOUR CASE IS UNUSUAL?
If the Civil Surgeon feels that you have a distinct case you could be referred to another medical doctor for a second opinion.
