What are the different paths to US citizenship?

The United States citizenship is obtained by different paths or processes. In Texas, the most popular path to United States citizenship is through naturalization. During naturalization, the person must have been a lawful permanent resident of the United States for at least five years, or three years if the person is married to a U.S. citizen. Another way to obtain United States citizenship is through a process called “derivative citizenship.” This process applies to individuals who were born outside of the United States, but were born to one or more parents who were U.S. citizens at the time of their birth. In addition to naturalization and derivative citizenship, a person may also be eligible to become a United States citizen through an adjustment of status. This applies to people who entered the United States with a valid visa, and then remained in the country for a period of longer than their visa allowed. When the person has been in the country for more than the allowable time, they may be eligible to apply for a change of status that could eventually result in their becoming a United States citizen. Finally, a person may be eligible for US citizenship through a process known as “acquisition of citizenship.” This applies to people who were born in a foreign country but later adopted by U.S. citizens. When applying for United States citizenship in this way, the adoptee must show proof of their adoption and must meet all of the requirements of the immigration process.

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En los Estados Unidos, hay muchas formas para adquirir la ciudadanía. La forma más común de convertirse en ciudadano estadounidense es a través de la nacionalización. Esto se logra mediante el proceso de solicitud de la ciudadanía, que generalmente lleva entre 6 y 8 meses. Otro camino es a través de la residencia permanente legal. Esto se logra cumpliendo ciertos requisitos, y una vez que se obtiene, una persona puede solicitar la ciudadanía un año después. Otra forma es a través de la ciudadanía naturalizada por matrimonio. Esto se logra solicitando una tarjeta verde primero, que se renueva cada 5 años, y una vez que se cumple el requisito de tiempo, una persona puede solicitar la ciudadanía. Además, las personas nacidas en Estados Unidos también se convierten automáticamente en ciudadanos estadounidenses. Finalmente, una persona puede adquirir la ciudadanía estadounidense por adopción, siempre y cuando el padre adoptivo tenga la ciudadanía estadounidense. En Texas, no hay ningún requisito adicional para obtener la ciudadanía estadounidense a través de cualquiera de estas vías.

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What are the different paths to US citizenship?

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