Applying for U.S. Citizenship: Four Questions to Answer Before You File

Becoming a U.S. citizen is the last step in a long journey. For many green card holders, it is also the step they put off the longest, because the application feels risky. It does not have to be. Most delays and denials come from a short list of problems that can be caught before filing.

This guide answers the four questions we hear most from people in Indiana and across the country: what mistakes slow down an N-400, what the English test actually looks like, whether a police record stops you from applying, and what to bring when you are ready to start.

1. Six mistakes people make on the N-400 that delay their case

The N-400 is the application for citizenship. It asks about your whole life since you became a permanent resident: where you lived, where you worked, every trip abroad, and any contact with the police. Six mistakes cause most of the delays we see.

1. Filing too early. Most green card holders can apply after five years as a permanent resident. If you have been married to and living with the same U.S. citizen for the last three years, and your spouse has been a citizen that whole time, you can apply after three. You can file up to 90 days before you reach five (or three) years. File even one day earlier than that and USCIS will deny the case and keep the fee.
2. Getting your trips wrong. The N-400 asks for every trip outside the United States that lasted more than 24 hours. A trip of more than six months can break your continuous residence, and a trip of a year or more almost always does. You must also have been inside the United States for at least half of the five years (30 months), or half of the three years (18 months). Check your passport stamps and travel records. Do not guess.
3. Leaving out an arrest or a citation. The N-400 asks whether you have ever been arrested, cited, or detained by police anywhere in the world, even if the case was dismissed, sealed, or expunged. Leaving one out is often worse than the arrest itself. The officer will see it in your fingerprint results and may decide you were not truthful.
4. Leaving a child off your application. The N-400 asks you to list all of your children: children who live with you or somewhere else, adult children, stepchildren, adopted children, children born outside of marriage, and children who have died. The officer can compare that list to your green card file. If a child appears on your N-400 who was left off your green card application, the officer will ask why. Sometimes there is a simple explanation. But if the officer decides the child was left off to hide something that would have changed your green card case, the problem is no longer just the N-400. It can put your green card itself at risk. Do not try to fix it by leaving the child off the N-400 too, because that makes it worse. If a child was missing from your green card application, have a lawyer review your old file before you apply.
5. Unfiled taxes or unpaid child support. Officers look at whether you filed taxes every year and whether you are current on court-ordered child support. If you owe the IRS, a payment plan you are keeping up with is far better than nothing. Bring proof.
6. Forgetting Selective Service. Men who lived in the United States at any time between ages 18 and 26 generally had to register with Selective Service. If you did not, you may need to explain why, and the timing of your application can matter.

Since August 2025, USCIS officers look more closely at every application, and they can check your neighborhood or workplace to confirm what you wrote. An N-400 with gaps or answers that do not match is more likely to be questioned.

2. What the citizenship English test actually looks like

There is no separate exam room. The English test happens during your citizenship interview with a USCIS officer, and it has three parts.

• Speaking. The officer judges your spoken English from the interview itself: greeting you, placing you under oath, and going over the answers on your N-400. If you understand the questions and can answer them, you pass this part.
• Reading. The officer shows you a sentence on a tablet and asks you to read it out loud. You get up to three sentences and need to read one correctly.
• Writing. The officer reads a sentence out loud and you write it on the tablet. You get up to three sentences and need to write one correctly. Small spelling mistakes are usually fine if the meaning is clear, but you may not abbreviate words.

The sentences use simple words about U.S. history and government. USCIS publishes the reading and writing vocabulary lists on its Study for the Test page, and studying them is the best preparation.

The civics test is given out loud in the same interview. If you filed your N-400 on or after October 20, 2025, the officer can ask up to 20 questions from a list of 128, and you must answer 12 correctly. The test stops as soon as you reach 12. If you filed before that date, the older test applies: 10 questions, with 6 correct to pass.

If you fail any part, you get a second chance, usually 60 to 90 days later. Fail the same part twice and the application is denied.

Some people do not have to take the English test:

• Age 50 or older, with 20 years as a permanent resident
• Age 55 or older, with 15 years as a permanent resident

They still take the civics test, but in their own language with an interpreter. People 65 or older with 20 years as a permanent resident take a shorter civics test: 10 questions from a smaller list, with 6 correct to pass. People with a disability that prevents them from learning English or civics may qualify for a medical exception using Form N-648, completed by a doctor.

3. Can I apply for citizenship if I have a police record? It depends

A police record does not automatically stop you from becoming a citizen. But it is the most important thing to review before you file, because the N-400 does more than ask for citizenship. It puts your whole immigration history in front of an officer.

• What can bar citizenship permanently. A conviction for murder, or for an aggravated felony on or after November 29, 1990. “Aggravated felony” is an immigration term. It includes some crimes that are not felonies under state law, such as certain theft offenses.
• What can block citizenship for now. Certain conduct during the five years (or three years) before you apply. This includes most drug offenses, crimes the law treats as morally serious such as theft or fraud, 180 days or more in jail, two or more DUI convictions, lying to USCIS, and failing to pay child support. Once enough time has passed, you may be able to apply.
• The bigger risk. Some convictions do more than delay citizenship. They can put your green card itself at risk, and an officer reviewing your N-400 can start that process instead of approving the case. That is why the rule is simple: do not file until a lawyer has reviewed your record.

Three more things to know:

• Dismissed, sealed, and expunged cases still count for the application. You must list them. Get a certified court disposition for every arrest, citation, or charge, even if it was dismissed. If a record no longer exists, get a letter from the court saying so.
• Rehabilitation matters. Since August 2025, USCIS looks at the whole picture of your character, not only what went wrong. Finished probation, steady work, taxes paid, child support paid, and community and family involvement all help.
• Your answers may be checked. USCIS can now visit your neighborhood or workplace to confirm what you wrote. Answer every question truthfully, and if you do not remember a detail, say so.

4. Ready to start? What to bring to your free evaluation

A free evaluation works best when we can see your documents, not just hear about them. Bring what you have. If something is missing, come anyway, and we will tell you what else to request.

Everyone should bring:

• Photo ID and every passport you have, including expired ones
• Every immigration document you have: green card, work permits, visas, approval notices, and any letters from USCIS
• Copies of any immigration applications you filed in the past, with or without a lawyer
• Police and court records for any arrest, citation, or charge, anywhere, even if it was dismissed
• Marriage certificates and divorce decrees
• Birth certificates for you and all of your children, including children who live outside the United States

If you are applying for citizenship, also bring:

• A list of every trip outside the United States since you became a resident, with dates
• Your home addresses and employers for the last five years
• Federal tax returns or IRS tax transcripts for the last five years (three if you are applying through marriage)
• Proof of child support payments, if you have a support order
• Your Selective Service number, if you registered
• If you are applying through marriage, proof that your spouse is a U.S. citizen and the date they became one

If you are petitioning for a family member, also bring:

• Proof of your own status: a U.S. passport, citizenship certificate, or green card
• Any documents you already have for your relative, such as their birth certificate or passport

Final word

Citizenship is the most secure status the law offers. It brings the right to vote, a U.S. passport, and the ability to petition for more family members, including your parents. It is worth doing right the first time.

At Vital Legal Group, we review your travel, your record, and your history before anything is filed, so there are no surprises at the interview. To get started, schedule your free case evaluation or call us at (317) 455-6829. You can also start with the chat on our website, which will ask a few quick questions and connect you with our intake team. Hablamos español.

Attorney Advertising. This article is general information and is not legal advice for any specific person. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. No results are guaranteed; prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.