Why did you apply for Citizenship. Top 3 reasons please !!

That's not a case of different rights during investigation - it's a matter of different rights after conviction, which is a separate matter. I've personally chosen to avoid committing felonies or put myself in a situation where I cannot easily return to the US (which, by the way, is a situation a US citizen can also find themselves in.)
You are ignoring the fact that people get charged and sometimes convicted of crimes they didn't commit. Not to mention circumstances beyond one's control that can make it much more difficult for a permanent resident to reenter the US than a citizen who faced the same circumstances.
 
You are ignoring the fact that people get charged and sometimes convicted of crimes they didn't commit. Not to mention circumstances beyond one's control that can make it much more difficult for a permanent resident to reenter the US than a citizen who faced the same circumstances.

Well said, Jackolantern. You can imagine one's destiny after deportation and chances for the justice back in US: once LPR is deported and jailed in the country of origin (especially, the countries with repressive regime and harsh criminal system).
 
1. I've been here too damn long to not consider this my country.
2. My eyes opened to the democratic process last year.
3. I feel changes are coming and want to be in a better position.
 
If that was a serious concern of mine I would not be in the US under any status.

Well, that happens. Very rarely though. But there may be other situations like

Getting convicted for activities that one may not be aware that they are illegal. Happens mostly when it come to financial transactions etc.

Accidents. like car accidents if someone is injured and getting convicted for manslaughter. ( Of course I'm not talking about someone driving recklessly and hitting someone on street) But a lot of innocent people get caught in this situation.

So don't think none of the above will ever happen to you. I'm not being pessimistic but when things get wrong in this country, most other things tend to get wrong. So clearly a guy having a GC is at a disadvantage compared to a Citizenship.

For example if you remember the 'Balloon boy' controversy. The Dad agreed to plead guilty only after the authorities threatened to deport his GC holding wife. Im not saying what that idiot did was right but there is a clear difference in leverage.
 
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If that was a serious concern of mine I would not be in the US under any status.
Staying out of the US wouldn't prevent that. It would only prevent deportation from being an additional threat (if you're charged in the country of your own citizenship) on top of the potential sentence.
 
Guys,

Since most of you have had a Merry Xmas, allow to say Berry Xmas to you all.:) I am trying to figure out how this thread deviated from being about reasons for becoming a USC to issues of convictions and deportation...:rolleyes: Unless I had too much sun in the Southern Hemisphere to miss the real reason from all the posting on this issue...:)
 
Getting convicted for activities that one may not be aware that they are illegal. Happens mostly when it come to financial transactions etc.

I'm again curious just how expansive this is. Outside the realm of some really esoteric financial transactions, how many financial activities have you ever heard of that only later you discovered were illegal? I've yet to hear of one.

Accidents. like car accidents if someone is injured and getting convicted for manslaughter.

You realize that you cannot get a manslaughter conviction if no one dies, right?

( Of course I'm not talking about someone driving recklessly and hitting someone on street) But a lot of innocent people get caught in this situation.

Examples? You claim a lot of innocent people get caught in such a situation - how many people have been convicted of manslaughter when no one died? On a more serious note, how many people have been convicted of manslaughter when someone died as a result of their driving where there was no criminal act?

So don't think none of the above will ever happen to you.

They might. But there are plenty of things which might happen to me. A plane could crash on my house. A runaway tractor trailer may slam into me on the Interstate. Al-Qaeda could nuke my city. They fall into the rare realm of possibility, and there's no point worrying about them. The risk of me being convicted and deported when I've done absolutely nothing wrong also falls into that category.

In my ten years here on this board, I've seen dozens of cases of criminal inadmissibility, deportation, etc. Not one claimed to be innocent, interestingly enough, which is quite unusual.

For example if you remember the 'Balloon boy' controversy. The Dad agreed to plead guilty only after the authorities threatened to deport his GC holding wife. Im not saying what that idiot did was right but there is a clear difference in leverage.

Clearly. It seems to suggest that the primary advantage of being a US citizen is the ability to commit crimes without fear of deportation (they had leverage on the wife because she was a moron too and did commit a crime.) The alternative conclusion to draw is that one should not sponsor a foreign spouse since it gives the government leverage over you! :D
 
I know, none of this will happen to 99% of the people, but some people might think of it. I didn't figure out the financial thing until one of my colleges mentioned it as being a reason. ( when I was discussion my N400 with him. Now don't start saying that you have a friend who wants to commit financial fraud !!).

OK, lemme ask you a question.
Do you have a life insurance and what are the chances that you give yourself for dropping dead in the next 20 years ??.
 
Let's add another one.

As a citizen you can secure life long benefits of Social Security that you have paid into for so many years.

As a citiizen, you can live anywhere in the world (except for few countries) and your SS checks would be mailed to you.
As a GC, you cannot avail SS if outside US.
 
I think the real reason for people to come to US and become citizens is its life style and the power of US "$" in the world.

When I first came to USA more than 13 yrs ago, US was miles, miles ahead of other countries in the world,
fresh from success of cold w*r and being only super power,
there was no county in the world which could question its authority and status of US "$" as Global Reserve Currency (GRC) of the world.

Now, after a decade, its a different story - with record deficits and Fed's working hard to keep printing press running 24/7 to pump liquid capital into the market so as to avoid total collapse of its economy and there by risking the status of US "$" as GRC , providing an opportunity for countries like China's & Russia's to question the status of US "$" as GRC.

Though its long long shot but if they (China & Russia) indeed come up with alternative GRC, then its anybody's guess the real worth of US "$" and its citizenship.
 
As a GC, you cannot avail SS if outside US.
Former GC holders (and other noncitizens have the required 40 quarters) can collect Social Security when they're outside the US, if they have citizenship in one of a list of countries. See http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10137.html

However, when Social Security starts going broke, I could see them stopping payments for the noncitizens who have left the US, as they cannot vote and most will not ever vote in the US.
 
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To be finally employed as a Law Enforcement Officer. I am Florida State certified, but cannot work because you have to be a citizen to in Florida!:)
 
Main Reason I applied was No hassels. No time limit on travelling. No visa to many countries.

Apart From that If I want to move back to my home Country India it is easy. If I stay for five years in India I can get back my Citizenship of India.
 
I want to become USA citizen to represent my voice.

Because in this forum everybody is a copycats or so shamed and living in cocoon mentioning that only the people who are going to war in iraq deserves to have expedited process of becoming us citizens from expedited oath or expedited us citizenship process or expedited green card or expedited immigration benefits.

I don't agree all the bull shit answers from all the people in this thread. As Obama came into administration, his campaign says they want to reduce troops to Iraq.

I am not a iraqi citizen i only want to fight for human rights and truth, thats the true meaning of Proud USA AMERICAN, nothing else.

rest of all of you god bless you all.

Its a shame to you and its shame to district offices who sing that slogan.
 
1-Mostlly avoiding possible future deportation(insident like beeing in wrong place, wrong time or comitting any actual crime)
2-Traveling with US passport(US government protection oversease)
 
mh66ii

you are wrong mh66ii if you are going to be US citizen why worry about wrong place wrong time.

Don't you have confidence in US courts or us govt???????
 
Sorry to be a counter voice on this, but I am still looking for my 2nd and 3rd reasons. I have been watching this thread for 2 days, and was wondering whether to keep shut, or participate. Anyway, here we go...

When the opportunity came to take USC after 13 years of living in US, it also came with other challenges ... you can relate healthcare, child and pre-existing conditions in a single sentence and you get the idea. The options were to keep GC like many have done and maintain minimum presence but decide later, take USC and do what is best in short-term, or forget about GC/USC. Having no compelling reasons either way, I chose USC mainly because you do not get the opportunity again (punted), with the only benefit to me being visa free travel to many countries. We thought about half of the family taking USC and the other not, but finally decided against being halfway here and halfway there, and searching the message boards for the next 10 years. And while I was proud taking the oath as the person next to me, real life catches up pretty soon.

I do not want to start a political battle here, but my observation is that despite some good people, the system here is as corrupt as any other place. It is just a question of scale and the way it is done.

Of course, things might be different in future, and within any system there is a normal-bell curve on which people's lives might fall. So you can have life as good as any in any country, and the next person can have life as bad as any in any country, with most of the people falling between these 2 extremes. A lot depends on the family you were born in, the family you have, your education, your employment, the area you live in and where you have built all your social network, the economy, and most of all on dumb luck (which many people in orient call destiny I guess) ...

I guess time will tell about reasons #2 and #3...
 
Here is my reasons to be an American citizen:
  • I have lived here for too long, so I wanted to officially settle in and not to worry about immigration stuff
  • Voting feels great! Especially if the outcome is exactly the way you voted! ;)
  • With my US and native country's passports I can travel to many many countries without a visa
  • Now, I can live outside of the US for as long as I want (not that I plan to)

Those people who wrote dozen times "I want to be an American" should answer the question as to why they wanted to be Americans. That was the initial OP's question.
 
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