question regarding timeframe for applying for citizenship

V

velvet tuberose

Registered Users (C)
Good evening, everyone,

I have some questions regarding the best time to apply for citizenship. A short immigration history:

Received the temporary permanent resident card in September 2011.
Received the 10 year green card in February 2014- my case- marriage to US citizen.

Questions:

1. Is it mandatory to apply for citizenship?
2. When is it the best time to send my application?

Thank you for your time.

Velvet
 
1. No, it's not mandatory to apply for citizenship. You can live the rest of your life in the US with the green card, without ever applying for citizenship. And if you don't want to apply this year but eventually want to apply later, you can wait as long as you want, as long as you're still alive and physically/mentally able to complete the requirements of the process and are otherwise eligible (no disqualifying criminal record, excessive travel etc.).

2. The earliest you can apply is 90 days before your 3-year green card anniversary, assuming your spouse has been a US citizen for at least 3 years and you have been married for at least 3 full years on the date you apply. But don't apply exactly on the 90-day cutoff, as USCIS is know to occasionally miscount by 1 or 2 days and incorrectly reject applications (without an interview!) for filing too early. So if you want to file in the 90-day early filing period, wait a few days after the 90-day mark.

Apart from that, the "best" time is when it makes sense for your circumstances and convenience. You will have to show up at a USCIS office for the fingerprinting, interview, and oath, and the process generally takes about 3 to 6 months, so if you travel a lot during the process you may miss one of those. And once you become a US citizen on oath day, they take away your green card, and you may become legally unable to use your non-US passport for travel abroad (depending on the laws of your current country of citizenship), so your foreign travel plans have to account for the time it takes to get a US passport and maybe visas after the oath.
 
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