Questions about Citizenship of the United States
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What are the two main ways to become a citizen of the United States?
The two primary pathways to United States citizenship are birthright citizenship and naturalization. Birthright citizenship is granted to persons born within the territorial limits of the United States, as specified in the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, or born abroad to a United States citizen parent. Naturalization is a process in which an eligible legal immigrant applies for and is granted citizenship after meeting requirements including five years of permanent residence, passing a civics test, and demonstrating good moral character.
What rights does United States citizenship grant that non-citizens do not have?
United States citizens have the right to vote in federal elections in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, the right to hold certain federal and state offices, and protection from deportation. Citizens can also transmit citizenship to children born abroad, sponsor certain relatives for immigrant visas, and apply for federal government jobs that require citizenship. Non-citizens, including lawful permanent residents, can be deported if convicted of a serious crime.
How has the cost of naturalization in the United States changed over time?
Naturalization fees rose from US$60 in 1989 to US$595 in 2007, when an additional US$80 fingerprinting fee was also added. On the 23rd of December 2014, the application fee increased again to US$640. In 2009, the number of immigrants applying for citizenship fell sixty-two percent, with the slowing economy and the cost of naturalization cited as reasons.
Can United States citizens hold dual citizenship?
Yes, United States law permits dual citizenship. A United States citizen who naturalizes in a foreign country retains their United States citizenship, and the Supreme Court confirmed in Afroyim v. Rusk that a citizen does not lose citizenship by voting in a foreign election or acquiring foreign citizenship without intent to relinquish it. Someone naturalized as a United States citizen must renounce allegiance to other countries during the ceremony, but may still retain that other nationality if the other country's laws allow it.
Who has been granted honorary citizenship of the United States?
Honorary citizenship of the United States has been granted only eight times by act of Congress or presidential proclamation. The eight recipients are Sir Winston Churchill, Raoul Wallenberg, William Penn, Hannah Callowhill Penn, Mother Teresa, the Marquis de Lafayette, Casimir Pulaski, and Bernardo de Galvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Galvez.
What is the difference between United States citizenship and United States nationality?
All United States citizens are also United States nationals, but not all nationals are citizens. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 established this distinction. Currently, people born in American Samoa become non-citizen United States nationals at birth rather than citizens, because Congress has not passed a citizenship statute for that territory. Non-citizen nationals can reside and work in the United States but cannot vote in federal or state elections, and they must pay a US$640 fee and pass the standard requirements to naturalize as citizens.