As an immigrant in this country, your ultimate goal might be to become a legal U.S. citizen. You dream one day of taking the oath of citizenship and being able to live permanently in the country. 

However, you also realize that the process of becoming a citizen can be fraught with legalities that you do not quite comprehend. You can navigate it successfully by retaining an experienced immigration attorney to represent you.

1. Meeting the Residency Criteria

The process of becoming a legal U.S. citizen requires you to live for so many years in the country without leaving for prolonged periods of time. You must show that you want to live in the country and become an integral part of its society.

When you hire an immigration attorney, you can learn how long you must live in the country before applying for citizenship. You also can find out for how long that you can leave the country without putting your application for citizenship at risk. Your immigration attorney can advise you on taking trips out of the country, when to come back and how to prove that you have met all of the residency requirements before you apply for citizenship.

2. Meeting the Background Check Requirements

When you apply to become a U.S. citizen, you will also undergo several background checks. These checks look into your past behaviors and find out if you have committed criminal offenses that could make you a threat to American society. 

If you have criminal convictions on your record from your home country, you may need to explain what they are and why they happened to immigration authorities. Likewise, if you have criminal convictions that stem from your stay in this country, you may need to explain and prove why you are not a threat to the American public. 

Your immigration attorney can represent you during hearings that may occur after your background checks are finished. They can explain on your behalf why you are no longer a security risk to the country, what you have learned from your past mistakes and why you should be allowed to become a legal citizen. Also, they can provide a host of beneficial services during the citizenship application process so you can meet the residency requirements and represent and argue for you in hearings. 

This is just an overview of the process. To learn more, contact an immigration attorney.