For many naturalized United States citizens, that citizenship is taken for granted. This is not the case for people that are striving to become citizens of the United States. For those that are looking to become citizens, here are five things you can consider to help in your quest to become a naturalized citizen.



The first way to become a US citizen if you are an immigrant is to become the spouse of a US citizen. There is a visa process that is involved, but in general, an American citizen is able to bring a foreign spouse to live in the United States while your immigrant visa case is being handled. The other option is to be the fiance of a US citizen. You do not need to be actually married, but you must be engaged or contracted to be married to a naturalized US citizen. The marriage must be legally binding to the laws of the United States. Generally, a couple must have met in person within the past two years.

Another option is to look into study visas. Basically, with the study visa, you are in the United States with the idea that you are seeking diversity in the US classroom, and your use of the US education will help broaden your world view. In general you must apply to an approved school of the United States and that school must be willing to sponsor you.

Your third option is to get a work visa. Now, there are many different types of work visas. Some of the visas are for temporary workers and the amounts of time and the job scope varies depending on the visa. Some visas will allow you to be in the United States for 10 years and work in different jobs, while other visas are very specific in the job scope and once the job is no longer available, you as a foreign national would have 30 days to vacate the country.

The fourth way to be a citizen is to be considered a refugee seeking asylum in the United States. If you have a verifiable risk of persecution for your political opinion or for an affiliation with a certain political group, you may apply for asylum in the United States. In order to qualify, one of the things you must establish is that you are a refugee and you are unable or unwilling to return to the country because of the fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality or affiliation with particular social group.

The fifth option is the diversity visa program. The program is based on the fact that the United States is originally made up of immigrants and we celebrate diversity. The program is congressionally mandated and make available approximately 50,000 permanent visas annually. The process is random selection and anyone is free to apply.

So, these are five quick possible ways that one can seek legal entrance into the United States. For more information it is important to consult with a qualified immigration attorney.