Path To U.S. Citizenship Can Be Long, Costly Journey
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Immigration issues are in the spotlight after the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, and an immigration attorney we spoke to say he's getting many more calls.
In Fair Oaks, 16 people became U.S. citizens at a ceremony on Thursday, and we talked with some of them about their journey to citizenship.
Doe-Let has been in the United States for seven years and is relieved she has gone through the naturalization process.
"It was my wish to be here to come here and be a US citizen and I'm very happy," she said. "I feel more secure."
She's not alone. Martha came from Mexico at age 10.
"I'm a little relieved that I'm a citizen and I'm not in fear," she said.
That fear has been increasing after the immigration rhetoric from the 2016 presidential race, culminating in the election of Trump. He has vowed to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico and discussed mass deportation on the campaign trail.
Sacramento immigration attorney Naresh Virdi says becoming an American citizen can be complicated and complex. If you marry a citizen, you will need to be a resident for three years and actually staying here for 18 months. In other categories, you need to be a resident for five years in the U.S. Either way, you must first get a green card.
"There are about seven to nine different channels you can get that through," he said.
Those channels were taken by many who were at Thursday's ceremony. Some came to the U.S. to study, while others were sponsored by a sibling, or extended a visit visa, or invested $500,000 into a business.
But even then, the time frame to get a green card can be lengthy.
"Those can be anywhere from six months to about 28 years," he said.
The cost also ranges just over $600 for the application. Bringing in an attorney for a more complicated case can run it into the thousands.