Do i need a lawyer to apply for us citizenship?

Many people navigate the citizenship process successfully without an attorney. This is impossible to answer without knowing your sophistication and education level. There is more to the process than just reading and answering the form but of course this is important as well. In theory you could read the same laws and regulations that attorneys do and educate yourself but by hiring an atttorney you be buying this expertise. The advantage of an attorney is usually to get everything on file correctly the first time -- errors in filing location and procedure will result in a rejected case and a delayed filing but would not prevent you filing again; it just loses time in the process -- knowledge of what to do if your case is not proceeding as it should, and of course advisng you on any potential land mines that could come up at the interview, and issues of good moral character, selective service, voting, taxes, child support or any of the other ancillary issues that are increasingly raised at naturalization interviews..

In addition, by hiring an attorney, you will have someone with you throughout the application process and at your interview that can answer your questions, make sure that your rights are protected, and ensure that the law is applied correctly in your case.

Respectfully,
Elizabeth


Elizabeth Rompf Bruen
Attorney at Law

Scott D. Pollock & Associates, P.C.
105 W. Madison Street, Suite 2200
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-444-1940
Fax: 312-444-1950
ebruen@lawfirm1.com

Please be sure to visit our recently renovated website at www.lawfirm1.com.

In addition to the information contained in the previous two replies, note that sometimes an applicant may handle every detail about a naturalization petition correctly, but the USCIS makes consequential mistakes. That could include, for example, misplacing your paper file, failing to properly complete security checks, failing to timely schedule an interview, having an officer misunderstand an issue (see example below), etc.
If one is represented by an attorney who is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the USCIS-AILA Liaison process may be used to solve some of these problems.

Here is an example of a screw-up by the USCIS not caused by anything the applicant did wrong: Last week someone who applied without an attorney told me that his case was denied because he told the officer at the interview his father had become U.S. citizens while he was a Permanent Resident under age 18; the officer told him he was already a U.S. citizen by operation of law, and he should file an application for a Certificate of Citizenship; he then filed the requested application, but it too was denied because he could not prove that his father had a custody order or that he actually resided with his father during the required time. Purely because of the officer's error, this person will have to file a new case, resulting in an enormous amount of wasted time and effort, and a very large amount of filing fees.

[Note: Consistent with Avvo policy, this communication is intended as general information and not specific legal advice, and this communication does not create an attorney-client relationship.]

David N. Soloway
Frazier, Soloway & Poorak, P.C.
1800 Century Place, Suite 100
Atlanta, Georgia 30345 www.fspklaw.com
404-320-7000 * 1-877-232-5352 * dsoloway@fspklaw.com