US Citizenship through Marriage

The Immigration and Naturalization Act describes special provisions for the spouse of a US citizen living in the United States. The spouse must have continuously resided in the US after becoming a permanent resident for at least three years immediately preceding the date of filing a naturalization application and up to the time of naturalization.

The applicant must have lived in marital union with his or her US citizen spouse for at least three years prior to filing.(The citizen spouse must have been a US citizen for those three years.) USCIS considers you to be “living in marital union” with your citizen spouse if both of you actually reside together.

You must continue to be the spouse of a US citizen up until the time you take the Oath of Allegiance in the naturalization ceremony.

If you consider applying for US citizenship through marriage, you must be a lawful permanent resident, age 18 or older, at the time of filing your application.

You must have been physically present in the United States for at least 18 months (548 days) out of the three years immediately preceding the date of filing the application.

You must have lived within the state or USCIS district with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence for at least three months prior to the date of filing.

The applicant must demonstrate good moral character for at least three years prior to filing the application until the time of naturalization.

Please note: Citizenship through Marriage Isn’t Mandatory.
In many cases, the spouse of a U.S. citizen may also qualify for naturalization not only based on marriage but, alternatively, also on the basis of five years’ continuous residence as a green card holder. Generally, it is easier to prepare an application when applying for citizenship based on five years as a permanent resident, because you do not have to submit additional documents about your marriage and US citizen spouse.