I had my Oath Ceremony today, and now I am officially a U.S. Citizen.
Hooray!
In case anyone is interested in the Naturalization timeline, mine was relatively quick by today’s standards, considering the fact that during my application process the INS became part of the Department of Homeland Security and is now known as BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services), and the FBI background checks are more rigorous than ever. My application process took almost a year to the day since I initially filed my application.
I also registered to vote today, so it will be the first time I will be able to vote in my entire life!
I am very proud to be a citizen of two of the greatest nations on this planet, the USA and Australia!
I moved over here just over a year ago so I am still a conditional permanent resident so I have a long way to go. How long did it take from when you actually became a resident in the US?
RickQ, I’ve had my green card for many years and I didn’t file for citizenship until last year because Australia only just allowed dual citizenship since April of last year. But I understand that one must reside in the U.S. for 3 years until they can apply for citizenship if they’re married to a US citizen, and 5 years if they’re not married to a citizen, counting from the date you received your green card. I may have that info wrong, but you can double check on the BCIS website. Good luck to you!
Congrats! They still have that “So You Wanna Be an American” exam, right? How does it feel to know more about American history than half of the native folk?
From one immigrant to another, congratulations!!! It’s been over 20 years, but I still remember how foolishly proud I felt, and I still have the flags from my naturalization ceremony. Then again, I still get a big goofy grin on my face whenever I vote (usually after grimacing at the candidates).
Lola, that’s great! My BIL just got his “temporary resident alien” status approved this week! He is Brit/Aus, married to a US citizen, been here for years, has a PhD, teaches at a major univ, and had to jump through hoops like a trained poodle just to get that far! Luckily, they decided that since he comes from a “low immigration” country, they would approve him.
