Naturalization is the process by which foreign nationals achieve United States citizenship. The naturalization process has evolved significantly since 1965, when Congress passed the Immigration Act to liberalize rules for conferring rights to foreign nationals and immigrants.

To be naturalized, you must:

• Be 18 years old or older.
• Have resided in the U.S. for a designated period of time (the time requirement depends on other aspects of your status).
• Demonstrate fluency in communicating in the English language.
• Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. government and history.
• Demonstrate solid ethical character (e.g. individuals convicted of homicide cannot be naturalized).

Applicants can be held to more or less restrictive standards depending on the details of their cases. An elderly foreign national or a person with a mental impairment may not, for instance, be required to show fluency in English to qualify.

Applicants must take and pass a citizenship test comprised of ten questions randomly selected from a group of 96 general interest questions about United States government, culture, and history.