Why Should I Apply For Citizenship? Bringing Your Family Closer
One of the hardest parts of building a life in America is being separated from family members who remain in your home country. While permanent residents can help some family members come to America, becoming a U.S. citizen gives you many more options to bring your family to the United States.
Let's explore how citizenship can help bring your loved ones closer and keep your family together.
Key Term: Petitioning
Submitting paperwork to the U.S. government asking for a family member to be allowed to immigrate is called "filing a petition", or simply "petitioning" for your family member.
Key Concept: What Family Members Are You Allowed To Help?
As a green card holder, your options for bringing family members to America are limited.
You can only help your spouse and unmarried children come to the United States. Plus, there's an extra challenge: the government only gives out a certain number of these visas each year. When the number of applications exceeds these limits, your family members might have to wait several years for their turn.
Becoming a U.S. citizen opens many more doors. As a citizen, you can help:
- Your spouse, parents, and unmarried children under 21 come to America with no annual limits—meaning much shorter wait times
- Your married children and their families
- Your adult children (over 21) and their families
- Your brothers and sisters and their families
Benefit #1 Bringing Parents to the U.S.
One of the biggest advantages of citizenship is being able to petition for your parents to become permanent residents. Unlike green card holders, who cannot sponsor their parents at all, citizens can bring their parents to the U.S. as "immediate relatives"—a special category with no annual visa limits.
Example: Sarah And Her Parents
Sarah became a citizen in 2022 and immediately filed petitions for her elderly parents in the Philippines. Because they qualified as immediate relatives, their applications were processed within a year, allowing them to join her in Seattle where they now help care for their grandchildren. If Sarah had remained a permanent resident, she would have had no way to bring her parents to live permanently in the U.S.
Benefit #2 Helping Adult Children and Siblings
Citizenship also opens doors for other family members who might not have a path to U.S. residence otherwise. You can petition for:
- Your married children and their families
- Your adult children over 21
- Your brothers and sisters and their immediate family members
While these categories do have annual limits and waiting periods, having a U.S. citizen family member petition for you can make the difference between having a path to U.S. residence or not having one at all.
Example: Miguel And His Sister, Carmen
Miguel became a citizen in 2020 and filed a petition for his sister Carmen, a talented software engineer in Brazil. While the waiting period is several years, this petition gives Carmen and her family a concrete path to eventually join Miguel in the United States—an opportunity that wouldn't exist if Miguel were still a permanent resident.
Benefit #3 Citizenship for Children Born Abroad
U.S. citizens have special privileges when it comes to passing citizenship to their children born outside the United States. In many cases, children born abroad to U.S. citizen parents automatically acquire citizenship at birth. Even for children born before you became a citizen, your naturalization can make them eligible for citizenship if they:
- Are under 18 years old
- Have a green card
- Live in the U.S. in your legal and physical custody
Example: Ana And Her Daughter, Diana
When Ana became a naturalized citizen, her 12-year-old daughter Diana, who was born in Mexico but lived with Ana in California as a permanent resident, automatically became a U.S. citizen. Ana simply needed to file Form N-600 to get Diana's Certificate of Citizenship documenting her new status.
Practical Tips for Family Reunification
If you're thinking about petitioning for family members after naturalization, here are some key things to consider:
- Start gathering required documents early, such as birth certificates and marriage records
- Be prepared for potential processing times and associated costs
- Keep copies of all immigration paperwork and correspondence
- Consider consulting with an immigration attorney to understand the best strategy for your family's situation
Remember, while citizenship greatly expands your family reunification options, each case is unique and processing times can vary significantly based on the family relationship and your relatives' country of origin.
Compare Understanding Your Family Immigration Rights
Let's compare what permanent residents and citizens can do when it comes to helping family members immigrate to the United States:
| What You Want To Do | As a Green Card Holder | As a U.S. Citizen |
|---|---|---|
| Bring your spouse to the U.S. | Yes, but with annual limits and longer wait times | Yes, with no annual limits and shorter wait times |
| Bring your unmarried children under 21 | Yes, but with annual limits and longer wait times | Yes, with no annual limits and shorter wait times |
| Bring your parents | Not possible | Yes, with no annual limits |
| Bring your married children | Not possible | Yes (though waiting periods apply) |
| Bring your adult children over 21 | Only if they're unmarried | Yes, whether married or unmarried |
| Bring your brothers and sisters | Not possible | Yes (though waiting periods apply) |
| Pass citizenship to children born abroad | Not possible | Yes, in most cases |
Wrapping Up
The ability to bring family members to the United States is one of the most meaningful benefits of citizenship. While the process may take time, becoming a U.S. citizen opens doors that can make the dream of family reunification possible. If keeping your family together in America is important to you, citizenship might be the key to making that happen.