Chicago Citizenship Lawyer Helping Clients Become U.S. Citizens
Becoming a U.S. Citizen is one of the pivotal goals that many foreign nationals in the United States seek. They hope to gain the many advantages that come with U.S. citizenship, including participating in government programs, obtaining citizenship for their family members, and more. However, the citizenship process called naturalization can be complicated and intimidating.
You may be required to submit many documents, such as a citizenship application, birth certificate, permanent residency document, employment history over the last five years, and background checks. Your life could be heavily scrutinized during the waiting period to ensure you do not participate in criminal activities. Throughout this stressful time, you need formal legal advice you can trust from an immigration lawyer for citizenship who understands the nuances of the law.
Immigration attorney Kevin L. Dixler has practiced immigration law for nearly three decades, giving him the experience and insight necessary to provide excellent legal counsel. He has helped countless immigrants upgrade their immigration status from lawful permanent resident (green card holder) to United States citizen, many times uniting families and married couples.
Attorney Dixler has been recognized numerous times for his outstanding insight into immigration law, including being named a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer in immigration for nine consecutive years. He understands the complex nature of immigration law, including for persons who are seeking United States citizenship who have been denied or are being investigated for crimes. Don’t go through the challenging immigration process alone! Reach out to the Law Office of Kevin L. Dixler for exceptional citizenship and immigration services.
Call us at 312-728-4610 or complete our contact form for a free consultation.
How Do Immigrants Achieve U.S. Citizenship?
Many immigrants hope to achieve U.S. citizenship, but it isn’t always apparent how this is to be done. The easiest way to gain citizenship is to be born in the United States (or in a territory under U.S. jurisdiction) and have parents who are citizens.
While this may not be an option for you, please understand that it is possible for your children or future children to become citizens through your naturalization in the country, which is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
Applying for U.S. citizenship includes submitting the proper forms, which usually include naturalization applications, photographs, and other documents that give detailed background information about your recent history. Prospective U.S. citizens must have resided in the country for at least 5 years or 3 years if they are married to a U.S. citizen.
You should expect to go through a great deal of scrutiny to ensure that you are of good moral character. If you commit certain crimes, such as murder, you may be denied citizenship. It is also essential to be truthful in your application, as any lies may result in a denial.
For help understanding what the process of obtaining citizenship will look like for you, you should reach out to a talented immigration lawyer like Kevin L. Dixler. Our experienced legal team helps lawful permanent residents obtain their goals by assisting with documents and giving sound legal advice. Contact us today to see how we can help you!
What Qualifications are Required to Become a U.S. Citizen?
People who were not born U.S. citizens still have every hope of obtaining citizenship in the United States. However, there are certain requirements that must be met in order to gain citizenship and naturalization. While every immigration case is different, some aspects are true for all green card holders seeking citizenship.
Some of the most important qualifications for gaining citizenship in the United States are:
- The applicant must be 18 years of age or older.
- He or she must have good moral character, meaning convictions for certain crimes such as murder or aggravated felonies could lead to a denial.
- They must have been a legal permanent resident for at least five years or for at least three years if married to a U.S. citizen.
- The applicant must have thirty months of continuous presence in the U.S. or eighteen months if married to a U.S. citizen.
- The person must demonstrate a good understanding of the history and government of the United States.
- They must have a strong English-speaking ability, including reading and writing in English.
Reach out to our excellent legal team today to find out how you can fulfill these requirements to get your U.S. citizenship.
What Are Some Reasons to Pursue Citizenship in the United States?
Immigrants in Chicago may have varying reasons for seeking citizenship and naturalization. There may be additional benefits to obtaining citizenship that you haven’t considered. While your reasons for achieving U.S. citizenship are unique to you, it can be helpful to discuss with your Chicago immigration attorneys why you wish to obtain citizenship.
Communicating and understanding your specific goals can make your lawyer’s job easier and make their work more effective.
Some reasons people seek to become a United States citizen are:
- Citizens avoid deportation as they have a legal right to reside in the United States.
- Legal citizens retain the right to remain in the country even if they are convicted of a crime in the future.
- Citizens have all of the rights that any other U.S. citizen enjoys.
- The children of U.S. citizens are automatically citizens themselves.
- Citizens can obtain a passport and may travel across the world without obtaining a visa as long as the trips are short-term.
- Citizens may utilize the help and protection of a U.S. embassy when traveling abroad.
- Legal citizens may apply for green cards for their adult relatives, including adult children, siblings, and parents.
- U.S. citizens may participate in beneficial government programs such as college assistance and Medicare.
Consult a Chicago Immigration Lawyer
With the wonderful advantages of U.S. citizenship, it is important for each foreign national to carefully apply for naturalization for the best results. Part of the application process should include speaking to an immigration attorney who has a deep understanding of nationality law. Reach out to the Law Office of Kevin L. Dixler today to learn more.
What Documents are Needed to Obtain Citizenship?
One of the most important roles of Chicago immigration lawyers is to ensure that their client has the right forms submitted in the proper way. However, you can help your immigration attorneys by providing accurate information and collecting the resources they need to file your naturalization application.
Some documents needed when seeking United States citizenship are:
- A birth certificate
- A legal permanent residency document
- Passport-sized photos
- Employment history for the last five years
- Residency history for the last five years
- A marriage certificate, if applicable
Please don’t misunderstand and think that your attorney will merely fill out paperwork. Hiring a law firm for immigration services is a crucial step in achieving citizenship because of the knowledge of immigration law necessary to obtain citizenship on behalf of a legal permanent resident.
With any immigration issue, unforeseen problems could arise that complicate the process. Citizenship and naturalization are no exception and are even more important because of the huge repercussions of being denied.
Our law group will explain the requirements necessary for you to become a citizen and work with U.S.C.I.S. to provide successful results. Attorney Kevin Dixler’s decades of experience allow him to give accurate and candid counsel that will help you on your path to citizenship.
Should You Hire Our Citizenship Attorney?
Experienced immigration attorneys do much more than fill out forms. An experienced immigration lawyer like Kevin Dixler will explain the complicated legal matters related to immigration services in a way that you can understand.
While the actions of government agencies like the U.S.C.I.S. are outside of the control of the client and lawyer, the success of a case can usually be determined by the determination and truthfulness of both the applicant and their attorney. At the Law Office of Kevin L. Dixler, we believe that the best results come from working together and utilizing all of our honesty, time, and experience in helping our clients achieve citizenship.
Get Help Today
Hiring an immigration lawyer may seem like a difficult choice, but when you consider the consequences of going it alone in this endeavor, you will quickly see how valuable having someone on your side with thirty years of experience will be. Applicants who seek citizenship without a lawyer often get themselves delayed, denied, and even deported. Don’t take any chances on this critical step that can offer such great benefits for you and your family. Reach out to our law group to set up an appointment today and find out how we can help you with your immigration needs.
Call us at 312-728-4610 today!