Immigration Rumor : Is Naturalization Possible after Four Years?
Posted May 19, 2006
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The simple answer is, "No." At the Murthy Law Firm, we have received a number of recent inquiries as to whether it is now possible to naturalize to U.S. citizenship after having permanent residence for four years rather than five. The answer is that the law governing this requirement has not changed. The naturalization requirements remain at five years of permanent residency for most cases. People who are married to U.S. citizens, generally, can apply for naturalization after three years, if the couple has been married for at least three years and the U.S. citizen-spouse has been a U.S. citizen for at least three years.
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Source of Rumor - Pending Bill
 ©MurthyDotCom
This rumor can be traced to pending immigration legislation. Part of a pending immigration bill proposes the requirement be changed to four years for individuals who are fluent in English. (Currently, with limited exceptions, naturalization applicants are required to be able to read, write, and understand English at an elementary level.) The provision, however, is simply part of legislation that is not yet law and may never become law. Therefore, no one should make any plans based on this pending legislation.
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If the law changes so that the requirements for becoming a U.S. citizen are amended, we will inform our MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers.