Citizenship

The path to citizenship is different for each individual. Depending on the familial and specific circumstances of the individual, citizenship can be gained automatically at birth inside or outside the United States, automatically through the naturalization of a parent, or through the naturalization of the individual. The majority of people that gain citizenship are born in the United States. Those that are born outside the United States and automatically gain citizenship are usually born on U.S. military bases or U.S. owned land in a foreign country.

For some, the path to citizenship lies in a process called naturalization. The steps involved in the naturalization process are complicated and must be handled with care. In order to obtain naturalization there are a number of steps that an individual must complete and a number of requirements that must be met.

Some of the requirements are:

• Enter lawfully
• Continuous Residency
• Physical Presence
• Reading, Writing, & Speaking English
• A knowledge of U.S. history
• Be at least 18 years of age

Citizenship is important for several reasons.

• The right to vote
  • The right to vote is often the cited as the most important duty that any individual can participate in when living in a civilized society. Indeed, the right to vote enables the citizenry of a country to elect officials who represent them at all levels of government. Those officials in turn pledge to act in the best interest of its voters.
• Eligibility for certain government programs.
  • Certain government programs require the person seeking assistance or a license to be a citizen.
• Rights and privileges
  • Some rights and privileges are reserved for citizens. Probably the most important right that is reserved for people with citizenship is the right to vote (as noted above). Another important right, is the ability to run for elected office.