Leaders Guide - Legal Problems - Obtaining U.S. Citizenship

There are about 7000 active duty Marines that are not U.S. citizens. Citizenship is required for Marines to vote, obtain security clearances, and to obtain certain restricted MOS designations. In 2003, Federal law was changed to make it easier, faster and cheaper for active duty Marines to apply for and obtain citizenship. Complete application assistance is available at your local legal assistance office, which has all of the forms, staff and experience necessary to help guide your Marines through the process. On average, the application process takes 6 months from filing time, to application of the oath. Certain citizenship services that were previously restricted to the territorial United States, such as interviewing and application of the citizenship oath, are now available overseas. See your local legal assistance office for more information.

What to Look For

Marines denied security clearances because of lack of U.S. citizenship.
Marines denied certain MOS designations because of lack of U.S. citizenship.

What to Do

Leaders should ensure that all new joins are educated about the location of the nearest legal assistance office.
Immediately refer any Marine facing a citizenship issue to the legal assistance office for help.
Have your Marines take the time to review all of the forms before filling them out, and ensure they talk to the legal assistance office with any questions.

What to Avoid

Failure of Marines to obtain proper certification of the application forms will result in months of delays.
Hasty careless completion of forms.
Avoid starting a security clearance investigation on any citizenship applicant, as this will add additional months of delay in application processing.

What to Expect after Taking Action

Regular visits by the Marine to the legal assistance office.
Granting of citizenship to qualified applications within 6 months of filing.

Troubleshooting

Determining the Progress of an Application. Application case status tracking is available through HQMC. Your local legal assistance attorney knows how to obtain case status information for you.