Sunday, February 16th, 2025

How will Indian students get citizenship after studying in America? Understand the complete process here

How to become a US citizen: Students who go to study in America also have the option to work there. Indian students who come to America on student visa or F-1 visa, do jobs after completing their studies and then also start thinking about acquiring American citizenship. Although there is no direct way to acquire citizenship, there are some ways through which Indian students who have gone to study in America can also become citizens here. Now let us know how we can get citizenship while studying in America.

Visa categories in America

There are two main types of visa categories in America, which include non-immigrant and immigrant visas. F-1 visa belongs to the non-immigrant category, which means that after the completion of studies, the student will return to his/her country. Immigrant visa is one which gives permission to stay in America permanently. H-1B visa, popular among Indians, is a non-immigrant visa, but the person obtaining it is considered to want permanent residence in the US.

Complete your studies and get a job under OPT

After completing their studies in the US, F-1 visa holders get the opportunity to apply for Option Practical Training (OPT). Under this, Indian students can work in America for one year. Students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths get a job opportunity for two years. Even though OPT status is considered a non-immigrant visa, it proves to be very important for further work in America.

Obtaining an H-1B Visa through OPT

Once an Indian student’s OPT status expires, he/she or she should immediately obtain an H-1B visa. This visa is given to those people who want to work in a particular field and have a bachelor’s degree. The student cannot apply for this on his/her own, this work is done by his/her company. There are some companies where you can get H-1B visa as soon as you graduate while working. This visa is for three years, which can also be extended for three years.

Apply for Permanent Residency

After living and working in the US for six years on an H-1B visa, your company can apply for a green card on your behalf. Employer based green card from H-1B visa is divided into five categories. In this, first priority is given to EB-1 visa, which is available to those people who have extraordinary talent in the fields of science, arts, education, business. If you are selected for employment based visa then you will get permanent residency i.e. green card.

Journey to citizenship through green card

People who hold a green card can apply for naturalization after five years, which means they can apply for US citizenship. But they have to fulfill some conditions, like their age should be more than 18 years. Must have knowledge of English language. he/she should have good character and should not be a person who endangers security. One has to go through a 10-step naturalization process during application. One has to take an oath to support America and then take a citizenship test. If you do all these things then you will get citizenship.

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