Additionally, an applicant may not have been absent from the United States for more than one continuous year of the five years to be counted for this requirement. But absences of more than six months may require the applicant to show that he or she did not intend to relinquish lawful permanent residency. The applicant must also reside in the state or INS district with jurisdiction over their petition for at least three months before filing it. Good Moral Character Applicants usually must show a record of good moral character for five years preceding the application. But this period may be reduced to three years if the applicant is married to a United States citizen, and one year if the applicant qualifies under an exception for some persons who served in the United States Armed Forces.
Naturalization is a very serious step to take for some persons.
Some applicants who are currently lawful permanent residents may be unaware of difficulties with their status or activities in their past that moral character applications can reveal. For this reason alone, applicants may want to seek the advice of an attorney. The Immigration and Naturalization Service usually conducts a thorough investigation of the applicant's background to evaluate moral character. And applicants must attend an interview to answer questions relating to this inquiry. According to the INS, during the examination the INS interviewer may inquire about other activities like homosexuality, adultery, child support delinquencies and past income tax payments.