Complications and Bars to Eligibility for U.S. Citizenship

Be careful about applying for U.S. citizenship if you have used fraud, have a criminal record, are a Communist Party member, and so on.

When you apply for U.S. citizenship (naturalization), you must show that you meet the basic requirements for good moral character, including having made contributions to U.S. society. Here's how receipt of public benefits might play in.

If you are a green card holder applying for U.S. citizenship through the process known as naturalization, one important question will be whether you have ever been prosecuted for a crime or committed some other unlawful act.

The N-400 application form that green card holders must  fill out in order to apply for U.S. citizenship asks various questions about group and party memberships, some of which are problematic for eligibility.

If you are a man who lived in the U.S. or got your green card at any time between the ages of 18 and 26, you were probably expected to register with the U.S. Selective Service System.

Cheating on one's spouse may be seen as evidence of bad moral character.

U.S. immigration law frowns on being married to more than one person at the same time, and prohibits both bigamists and polygamists from becoming naturalized citizens.

Whether on a nonimmigrant visa or green card, committing certain acts or crimes can make a person deportable from the U.S.

If you want to apply for U.S. citizenship after one or more recent trips outside the United States, your absences from the United States could affect your ability to apply right now.

Financial troubles do not, by themselves, bar a green card holder from naturalizing.

Why divorce is not a bar to approval for naturalized U.S. citizenship, but might raise questions.

Though not an automatic bar, a DUI or DWI on your record can hurt your chances of proving the necessary good moral character for naturalization.