No job is no impediment
Q.
Can I become a U.S. citizen, despite my being unemployed? While looking for work, I’ve been volunteering at a local church/community service center.
A.
Your unemployment won’t keep you from getting U.S. citizenship. Even better, you likely can naturalize without paying the filing fee. Unlike the rules that apply to green card applicants, to naturalize, an applicant need not prove stable income or financial support. Even people receiving public assistance, commonly called “welfare,” can naturalize. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rules provide options for permanent residents who cannot afford the filing fee. You can file for free if you can show an inability to pay. If you don’t qualify for a full fee waiver, you may qualify to pay a reduced fee. Those who must pay the full fee can do so by credit card.
For most applicants, the filing cost for form N-400, Application for Naturalization, is $725, including the biometric (fingerprint and photo) fee. You can get a full fee waiver if you are receiving a means-tested public benefit, your household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines or you are in short-term financial distress.
For a full fee waiver, file USCIS form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver with form N-400. Your unemployment may qualify as “short-term financial distress.” If your household income is between 150% and 200% of the poverty guidelines, you pay a reduced filing fee of $320. For a partial fee waiver, file USCIS Form I-942, Request for Reduced Fee. To pay with your credit card, file Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transaction.
In New York City, to get free or low-cost help applying for citizenship, call 311 and ask for ActionNYC. Throughout New York State, readers can get help by calling the NYS Office of New Americans hotline, (800) 566-7636. Outside New York State, you can search for free and low-cost immigration law service providers at the website of the Immigrants Advocacy Network at http://bit.ly/2fYRIZI. Allan Wernick is an attorney and director of the City University of New York’s Citizenship Now! project. Send questions and comments to Allan Wernick, New York Daily News, 4 New York Plaza, New York, NY 10004, or email to questions@allanwernick.com. Follow him on Twitter @awernick.