Even with the Trump administration in power, it is easy to see why so many people want to become American citizens. After all, it is America the Great; the land of the free and the brave. But while there are numerous ways of seeking citizenship, most of those who go through the immigration service go the route of the N-400 form.
They do this because they have been told it is the least complicated. Sure, this may have been the case not so many moons ago, which has led to word trickling down like a summer waterfall, but it isn’t the case anymore. In fact, in the last few years, this form has grown from 4 pages long to 21 pages long.
It won’t shock you then that a lot of people get denied, even more so under our President Small Hands, especially those who choose not to use a citizenship attorney. The worst thing is, they never know why they application was halted. So to help you out, and shed a little bit of light on it all, we have compiled a list of the top reasons why naturalization applications get denied.
- Never Registered For Selective Service
Males that are aged between 18 and 26 are required to apply for Selective Service. This is an independent agency of the US government that was formed in 1917 and maintains information on anyone that could be subject to military conscription. If you don’t do this then your application could get hit with the big red denied stamp.
- Your Green Card Is Fraudulent
In the majority of cases, the immigration office will look at an applicant’s entire history Big Brother style, at which time they will also look at how and why your green card was issued in the first place. If they decide there and then, using the power of hindsight, that you were given this fraudulently – even if it was a teeny-tiny innocent mistake – your application can be denied. That’s if they got out of bed in a good mood too. Worst case scenario is deportation, which sucks.
- Your Crimes Are Bad
According to a few of the immigration officers we spoke to, this is one catches a lot of applicants out. Basically, if an immigration lawyer says not to worry, walk away and find yourself a lawyer that will look at your case carefully. Arrest, parking tickets, citations, even the smallest of violations need to be scrutinized because some offenses may lead to more than just that red denied stamp. Mmmm hmmm, the D word again; deportation.
- Terrible Tax Record
One of the most common grounds for having your access denied is, yup, you guessed it, failure to pay taxes. It’s something the government takes super seriously for some reason. Don’t worry, though, sometimes a phone call to a sweet immigration lawyer and a good accountant can be enough to fix your terrible history. Just trying to straighten your accounts and settle what is overdue can put a smile on Mr. Immigration Officer’s face and see that denial stamp left in its holster.