To apply for U.S. citizenship, Form N-400, Application for Naturalization must be filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by eligible green card holders. USCIS is looking to make the form filing process easier and that is the reason why they are revising immigration and naturalization forms.
USCIS has now revised Form N-400. The revisions USCIS has made to this form will provide the agency with additional tools that will help make important eligibility determinations. Only the form has been revised; the agency has not changed the naturalization eligibility requirements.
The new Form N-400 includes comprehensive instructions that highlight the general eligibility requirements. It also includes specific form filing instructions that will help the applicants to complete all the parts of the form.
The new form comes with 2D barcode technology to enable USCIS to process the applications accurately and quickly. This form also includes few new questions based on legal requirements. These new questions are related to good moral character and national security. This additional information will help USCIS further in determining whether or not the applicants are eligible for U.S. citizenship through naturalization.
The form filing fee of $680, that includes the naturalization application filing fee and the biometric fee, will remain the same. USCIS does not require military applicants to pay the form filing fee and applicants above age 75 are not required to pay the biometric fee.
Applicants can fill out the revised forms online and then print the completed forms, affix their signatures and mail them to the USCIS. They can also complete the forms by hand and file them with the USCIS.
Applicants need to meet all the general naturalization requirements to file Form N-400. USCIS has not made any changes to the eligibility requirements. Green card holders who are eligible for U.S. citizenship through naturalization, need to file the new version of the form. However, USCIS will accept the previous versions of Form N-400 until May 5, 2014. After that date, USCIS will accept only the revised form dated 09/13/13.
USCIS provides educational resources on the naturalization process to help the eligible green card holders to learn about the U.S. citizenship process and to prepare for the naturalization test. Applicants can make use of such resources to learn about the overall process and to prepare for the naturalization interview.
