Published on the World Journal Weekly on November 29, 2015

Q&A 1.

Reader Getting Ready to Marry U. S. Citizen Wants to Go Directly to Citizenship – Can She?

I am a citizen of Taiwan and will be marrying a U. S. citizen soon. Can I apply directly to U. S. citizenship? If I can, what is the process and how long will it take?

Dear reader,

Only in certain situations involving aliens marrying US citizens who are working overseas for US organizations can the aliens go directly to citizenship. I will assume that that is not the case here. In all other cases, you would have to become a permanent resident before you become a US citizen. The process for resident status takes approximately 6-9 months in most field offices of U.S.C.I.S. and if approved, you would become a conditional resident. Within the 90 days before the second anniversary of the granting of your conditional residence, you would have to file an I-751 application to remove the conditional basis of your residence status. Assuming that that is done, you could apply for US citizenship in three years from the date of your conditional residence grant so long as the US citizen has been a US citizen for the three years and you have been living together constantly during that time.

Copyright © 2003-2017 Alan Lee, Esq.
The information provided here is of a general nature and may not apply to any particular set of facts or circumstances. It should not be construed as legal advice and does not constitute an engagement of the Law Office of Alan Lee or establish an attorney-client relationship.