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The closest office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to Erie is located in Pittsburgh at
314 Federal Building, 1000 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222. The International
Institute of Erie is located at 517 East 26th Street, Erie, Pennsylvania 16504 (phone: 814/452-3935).
You can either write or call the office and an Application for Naturalization will be sent to you. To
order forms call 1-800-870-3676.
As a general rule, the only people who can apply to become United States Citizens are those
who have been living legally in the United States for a period of time. If you have been living
illegally in the United States, you should consult a lawyer to learn what legal rights you have.
If you are eligible to file a Petition for Naturalization, you will be required to submit two
photographs of yourself. The application requests such information as: your place of birth and
country of current citizenship, your spouse and children’s information, your address for the past five
years, and your place of employment, if any, during the past five years. The professional
photographer must take two photographs. Look in the yellow pages of the phone book under the
heading "passport photographers" for the name of a qualified photographer.
You will also be required to go to Buffalo INS to have fingerprints taken. The application
will also ask you to state whether you believe in the Constitution and form of government of the
United States.
Once you have completed your application, you should mail it to the Vermont Service Center
in your area. If your application is accepted, the Immigration and Naturalization Service will
schedule a hearing where you must appear in person and take a test on your knowledge of the history,
principles and form of government of the United States. There is no exemption from this
requirement. You will also be tested on your ability to read, write and speak English. If your
application is accepted and if you pass these tests, you will be eligible for citizenship as a United
States Citizen. If you want to become a United States citizen, you will be required to take an oath
of allegiance to the United States and you must renounce any allegiance or fidelity to any other
country. This oath is usually administered by a federal judge in a ceremony at the Federal
Courthouse. Once you are sworn in as a Citizen of the United States, you will have the same rights,
privileges and protections as a natural born United States citizen. If you have a child with your
spouse who is also a United States citizen, that child will automatically be a United States citizen.
If you have a foreign-born child who is a lawful permanent resident of the United States and who
is under the age of 18 when you become a naturalized citizen, that child will automatically become
a United States citizen.
The Erie County Bar Association thanks the International Institute for their assistance in
providing this message.
If you need an attorney and don't have one, the Lawyer Referral and Information Service can help.
Call Us Monday - Friday from 8:30 AM - Noon and 1:15 PM - 3:00 PM
at (814) 459-4411. |
