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The first naturalization law was enacted in 1790 and new naturalization laws were created throughout the subsequent years. The 1790 law was the beginning of the naturalization process which required a [[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Declaration of Intention|Declaration of Intention]] and a [[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Petition|Petition]] to naturalize. <br>The naturalization process is completed in a court of law. The process usually required several steps to complete and various documents related to naturalization may be found in the court records described below. <br>The typical naturalization process involved three steps: <br> | The first naturalization law was enacted in 1790 and new naturalization laws were created throughout the subsequent years. The 1790 law was the beginning of the naturalization process which required a [[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Declaration of Intention|Declaration of Intention]] and a [[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Petition|Petition]] to naturalize. <br>The naturalization process is completed in a court of law. The process usually required several steps to complete and various documents related to naturalization may be found in the court records described below. <br>The typical naturalization process involved three steps: <br> | ||
:#'''[[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Declaration of Intention|Declaration of Intention.]]''' The immigrant filed a declaration of intention (also called first papers) to renounce allegiance to foreign governments and in order to later prove he or she had resided in the country long enough to apply for citizenship. Residency laws changed consistently over time ranging from no residency requirement (meaning they could declare right after they "came off the boat") to 14 years residency. However, generally speaking, an immigrant filed a declaration of intention up to | :#'''[[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Declaration of Intention|Declaration of Intention.]]''' The immigrant filed a declaration of intention (also called first papers) to renounce allegiance to foreign governments and in order to later prove he or she had resided in the country long enough to apply for citizenship. Residency laws changed consistently over time ranging from no residency requirement (meaning they could declare right after they "came off the boat") to 14 years residency. However, generally speaking, an immigrant filed a declaration of intention up to two years after he immigrated to the United States. The immigrant also could declare any time after he arrived after fulfilling the residency requirement. Some immigrants waited as late as 20 years after coming to the United States to begin the process to become a citizen. There are some [[#Exceptions_to_the_Naturalization_Process|exceptions]] to the naturalization process where the immigrant was not required to file a declaration.<br> | ||
:#'''[[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Petition|Petition.]]''' The immigrant had to wait anywhere between one to three years after he | :#'''[[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Petition|Petition.]]''' The immigrant had to wait anywhere between one to three years after he filed his declaration to file his petition for citizenship (also called second or final papers). Most often the petition was filed in a court nearest to the town where the immigrant settled. | ||
:#'''[[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Certificate of Naturalization|Certificate.]]''' After all requirements were completed, the immigrant was sworn in as a citizen and issued his or her certificate. | :#'''[[Portal-United States Naturalization. Naturalization Records-Certificate of Naturalization|Certificate.]]''' After all requirements were completed, the immigrant was sworn in as a citizen and issued his or her certificate. The certificate is given from the same court the petition is filed in.<br> | ||
=== Naturalization After 1906<br> === | === Naturalization After 1906<br> === | ||
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