THE HMA LAW FIRM
  • Home
  • Attorneys
    • Hassan M. Ahmad, Esq.>
      • Unity in Diversity
      • Amr Ahmed, Esq.
        • Omar Baloch, Esq.
          • Faisal Gill, Esq.
            • Ashraf W. Nubani, Esq.
            • Practice
              • Immigration>
                • Marriage & Fiancé Visas>
                  • Special Service for Servicemen
                    • Do It Yourself (Well, Almost)
                    • Employment-Based Immigration>
                      • The H-1B Visa
                        • Investor and Intracompany Transfers
                          • PERM Labor Certification
                          • Citizenship
                            • Mandamus: It's Taking Too Long
                              • Deportation Defense
                              • Criminal Defense>
                                • Traffic Offenses
                                • Civil>
                                  • Divorce
                                • Consult
                                • Learn
                                  • Immigration In A Nutshell>
                                    • The Visa Bulletin and Family Immigration
                                    • Criminal Immigration Law 101>
                                      • Know Your Rights
                                      • Overview of Removal Proceedings>
                                        • Deportation: Preventive Maintenance
                                        • Mandamus: What to Think, What to Expect>
                                          • How an Immigration Writ of Mandamus Works
                                          • Eligibility for Citizenship>
                                            • Citizenship versus Naturalization
                                              • Why Become a Citizen?
                                              • The H-1B Quota: "Putting a Cap on Intelligence">
                                                • iCertainly See Bugs
                                              • Testimonials
                                              • Blawg

                                              NATURALIZATION VERSUS CITIZENSHIP

                                              You can become a citizen of the United States in a few different ways.  Sometimes it happens automatically by operation of law (as in the case of a child under the provisions of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, or CCA: if the child is born to at least 1 US citizen parent who then gets a green card, then as soon as the child enters the US on that green card, the child becomes a citizen).  Sometimes it can be conferred. And of course, it can be obtained by filing for it.  In this case, the process is called naturalization.  That's what Form N-400 is.

                                              The certificate you get when you file form N-400 is called a certificate of naturalization for this reason.  It is not the same thing as a certificate of citizenship, which is merely proof of citizenship that has already been obtained (say in the case of a child under the CCA).

                                              If you lose your citizenship document - whether it's naturalization or not - you file Form N-565.  If you're applying to get a certificate of citizenship (i.e., that you already have) then you file Form N-600.
                                              The HMA Law Firm · 1037 Sterling Rd #201 Herndon VA 20170 · 703.964.0245 · 301.637.4019 · info@hmalegal.com Photo used under Creative Commons from bloomsberries