For Veterans Day: Military Naturalization

Updated Nov. 12, 2008

In honor of Veterans Day, let's take a quick look at immigration as it applies to the military.

Qualifying immigrants who have served honorably on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces and certain components of the National Guard and the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve, may apply for expedited citizenship processing under special wartime provisions in the Immigration and Naturalization Act.

To honor the service and sacrifices that these immigrants have made for their adopted nation, these troops can naturalize in overseas ceremonies instead of waiting until their return to the U.S. The spouses and children of these military members may also naturalize abroad without having to return to the U.S. for any part of the process.

In October 2004, USCIS conducted the first overseas military naturalization ceremony since the Korean War. Since the War on Terrorism began (Sept. 2001), USCIS has naturalized more than 5,788 members of the armed forces in overseas ceremonies. May 20, 2008 marked the first time a military spouse naturalized overseas.

In 2008, USCIS naturalized 7,854 military members. On average, the number of military members naturalized in a year is less than 1% of the total number of U.S. naturalizations.

USCIS designated November as “Veterans Appreciation Month” to honor the service and sacrifices, both past and present, of those in the U.S. Armed Forces. Activities will include military naturalization ceremonies, educational seminars at military installations and a USCIS initiative to hire severely wounded or disabled military veterans.

What if you're not in the military? How long does the naturalization process take? USCIS has released its naturalization processing times for the end of this fiscal year.

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