Citizenship

Permanent Residency

The path to becoming a US citizen begins with a Permanent Residency. Once an immigrant has been approved as a Permanent Resident of the US (also known as a Green Card holder), they must reside in the US for a time of five years. Foreign visits during this timeframe are to be kept under six months per year at a time, in order to help the citizenship process go smoothly. One this five year time period has ended, immigrants will now be eligible for Naturalization. More information on this process can be found here

Naturalization

Naturalization is not a process, separate to citizenship, but merely a part of it. Prior to this, all citizenship requirements must be met, including passing a general knowledge test about US History. After all requirements have been met, the final step is attending a naturalization ceremony. A naturalization ceremony can take place, typically in federal courthouses. Many people are are scheduled for a ceremony at a time. During the ceremony, prospective citizens must swear an Oath of Allegiance, to the US and the Constitution, and will henceforth become official United States citizens.

Community Service

Among a citizens rights and duties are their obligation to engage in community events. This may be in the form of partaking in community gatherings, or volunteering to local non-profits, or even joining local grassroots organizations to make changes in ones community. Many, if not all, of these non-profits have a website for themselves, as a way to spread the word about their mission and to recruit volunteers. Here is a site where you simply input your location and it will search the nearest non-profit or community organization. This way, the efforts of volunteers will be fruited in their own local communities.

Contact Your Local Congresspeople

Congresspeople are people elected by the people, for the people. As such, they are responsible for listening to their constituents and to take action on their behalf. After all, elected Congresspeople are the voices of the regular American citizen. The American people elect these Congresspeople into office so that they can fix their problems. Because of this, civic engagement is strongly characterized by citizens reaching out to their local representatives in order to discuss or take action on issues plaguing society. There a total of 535 Senators and Representatives in the nation. Contacting them or getting ahold of their time is really not as intimidating as it sounds. Any form of contact works, including email, mail, or telephone. As with everything, patience and persistence is key. Here is an excellent resource to find your nearest Representatives or Senators.