By Kelsey E. Logar, Esq., Senior Associate Attorney
Around the world, people use the tradition of a New Year’s resolution to set goals, make changes, and improve their lives. If you are looking to make the best of your 2025 and have received your green card during or before 2020 (or during or before 2022 if you are married to a U.S. citizen), you might consider moving “apply to become a U.S. citizen” to the top of your 2025 resolution list!
“During the last decade, USCIS welcomed more than 7.9 million naturalized citizens into the fabric of our nation. Deciding to become a U.S. citizen is an important milestone in an immigrant’s life. Candidates for citizenship must show they are committed to the unifying principles that bind us as Americans. For that commitment, in return, they will enjoy the rights and privileges fundamental to U.S. citizenship.” – USCIS
Join us by counting down to 2025 with the Top Ten reasons to apply for U.S. citizenship on behalf of you and your family:
10. No Need for Additional USCIS Filing Fees/Address Notification – Once you become a U.S. citizen, you no longer need to pay to renew your green card. Nor will you need to update USCIS every time you move. No more pesky USCIS filing fees or address change filings forever!
9. U.S. Tax Law Advantages – If your spouse is also a U.S. citizen, you can leave, or bequeath, real estate to him or her, exempt from property taxes. You should speak to a Certified Public Accountant about the additional tax and estate planning benefits of U.S. citizenship.
8. Voting and Running for Office – Once you become a U.S. citizen, you can vote in federal, state, and local elections – the foundation of democracy in the United States. You can make your voice heard! Voting together with your neighbors, family, and friends ensures that your shared values and issues are prioritized, that you play a key role in choosing who represents us, and where government funding and resources will go. The more we vote, the more powerful our voices become, and the likelier the issues that are important to us will be heard. Becoming a U.S. citizen will also allow you the opportunity to run for office, such as local school board, city council, state legislature, or even U.S. Congress! Fun Fact: There are currently 18 foreign-born members of U.S. Congress! Will you be next?
7. New Financial Opportunities –Studies show that becoming a U.S. citizen can increase your income by 5% or more, helping you and your family live a safer and healthier life with more financial security. Certain federal and state government jobs, some scholarships, grants, and financial aid programs, and additional federal benefits are limited solely to U.S. citizens. Jobs with the federal government provide relatively better benefits and earnings than those of private-sector workers. Fulbright, Gilman, and Critical Language Scholarships are examples of programs that are currently only available to U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens may even receive lower interest rates when borrowing money, such as a mortgage! Becoming a U.S. citizen has the power to create and expand your economic opportunities for years to come and can be the investment you make for your family this year.
6. Protection from U.S. Embassies and Consulates When Abroad – In the event of a personal crisis, national emergency, or outbreak of civil unrest where you are traveling outside of the United States, you will be able to seek assistance from U.S. Embassies and Consulates. This support can help you in the event you lose your passport while traveling, become ill or injured overseas, or are even arrested or detained while in another country. The primary mission of the U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad are to “protect the safety of American citizens” and upon naturalization, that will include you!
5. Protection from Deportation – United States citizens are protected from deportation from the United States. As a green card holder, certain crimes make you deportable from the United States – but naturalization can eliminate this risk. As a U.S. citizen, your family can stay together without fear. You will have just as many rights as any other American to live and work in the United States and peace of mind as we enter a changing presidential administration.
4. Petition for your Family to Live in the U.S. – U.S. citizens get priority status to petition for their spouses, children, and parents, in the United States and abroad, known as the “immediate relative” benefit. If your family is looking to immigrate to the United States in the future, naturalization can unlock this opportunity for you, with reduced wait time for your family’s visa processing. As a U.S. citizen, sponsorship for permanent residence becomes more straight forward, reducing time spent away from your family overseas.
3. Derivative Citizenship Status for Your Children – If you are a parent of children under 18, your children can automatically gain U.S. citizenship upon your naturalization, without the need to file any separate applications. This can provide more opportunities to you and your family and help you remain in the United States permanently as a family. Derivative citizenship can also extend to any other children born abroad in the future as a benefit to growing families to promote family unity.
2. Visa-Free International Travel – According to the Henley Passport Index, the U.S. passport is the 8th most powerful passport in terms of travel in the world. U.S. passport holders can travel to more than 180 countries visa free or subject to visa on arrival! Don’t forget to bring your favorite GILT staff member a souvenir from your latest trip abroad and enjoy the sites!
1. No limit on time spent outside the U.S. – As a lawful permanent resident, you are aware that long trips or absences from the United States could put your green card in jeopardy. But as a U.S. citizen, you will always be able to come home, no matter how much time you spend abroad. This is a perfect option for those that maintain a U.S. and international residence and seek to balance their time without restrictions!
USCIS made it their 2024 resolution to make naturalization more accessible and affordable to eligible U.S. citizens. This included reducing processing times and reduced fees for those earning less than 400% of the federal poverty guidelines (or less than $124,800 for a family of 4.) USCIS welcomed 818,500 new U.S. citizens in fiscal year 2024, and more than 2.6 million new citizens in the past 3 years. And in 2024, nearly 90% of applicants passed the naturalization test on their first try!
We wish you great luck and a prosperous new year and invite you to seek legal advice to help you achieve the goal of becoming a U.S. citizen in 2025! Here at Global Immigration Legal Team, we are always available to support you in your path to citizenship.
If you would like to set up a time to discuss how we can assist you in achieving U.S. citizenship in the new year, please feel free to contact Kelsey or call our office at (610) 975-4599 to schedule a consultation today.
Be sure to mention this article when reaching out for your consultation.
Reviewed by Natalie M. Richman, Esq., Partner & Removal Defense Department Chair