Primarily you need LPR Status and Minimum Time Frame on LPR Status Residence in the United States, where your physical presence in the United States works as a Competent Immigration Attorney which will avoid declining the citizenship.
How to Get LPR (Legal Permanent Residence)?
Being a Legal Permanent Residence (LPR/green card holder) is basic eligibility. You can avail of the Green card via three ways: Family-based petitions; employment-based petitions (Eb5, Eb2, Eb3, Eb1, etc), and humanitarian-based (Asylum, T or US visas, etc).
What is the Minimum Time Required on LPR Status?
There are certain minimum time frames to held on to LPR status before filing for naturalization. For individuals with some family-based green cards required a time frame of 3 years from the day the LPR Status is granted.
For the majority of individuals on LPR Status, you will require 5 years time frame from the day your LPR Status is granted.
Criteria for Having Continuous Residence in the United States.
Before filing for naturalization, Individuals having LPR status must have resided continuously in the United States for at least 5 years before filing the naturalization application and up to the time of naturalization.
Also, you must establish that you have resided in one same State for at least 3 months before filing your application.
Continuous Residence involves maintaining a permanent place/residence in the U.S. over the period required by the statute (as discussed above).
Accordingly, the applicant’s residence is generally the applicant’s actual physical location without considering the applicant’s intentions to claim it as his or her residence.
Physical Presence in the United States.
Half of the period of Continuous Residence is required for claiming the Physical Presence in the U.S. for naturalization.
Employment-based applicants for naturalization must demonstrate physical presence in the United States for at least 30 months (at least 913 days) before applying.
Physical presence is the number of days you must physically be present in the United States before filing for naturalization. Residence in the U.S. and physical presence are closely related requirements but each must be individually satisfied for the naturalization process.
USCIS counts the total days of physical presence within the US considering the day on which you depart from and return to the US.
Work with a Competent Immigration Attorney to Avoid Pitfalls/Issues
Many individuals point out that for a successful citizenship application, the demonstration of an attorney is not required – and maybe that can be true. Even though, there are several factors to keep in mind.
1) Competent Immigration Attorneys do this every day – You will get Top Immigration Attorneys In USA, they see issues to pursue the best options for correcting them.
2) Attorneys may point out issues that you may have never expected and it will take hours for you to spot them out.
3) It is a streamlined efficient process
4) Having a top immigration lawyer in USA on your side will reduce the risk of paperwork errors and can save you time and increase your chances of success.