One of the major requirements for applying for U.S. citizenship is that the applicant is a person of good moral character.   Although, in one way, this is a very broad standard, yet there are some guidelines.   The USCIS does not do a moral examination or inquiry.   What they do is ask a specific list of questions, and if the applicant answers “yes” to any of these questions, he is precluded from receiving citizenship for three to five years, depending on the length of his required residence period.   They want you to complete your required residence period (five years for most people; three years for most spouses of US citizens) and maintain good moral character throughout that time period.

The questions that they ask are listed on the Naturalization Application. In general, they relate to criminal activity, polygamy, drug trafficking, being a drunkard, failing to support your legal dependents, prostitution and immigration violations.   There are some other considerations as well.   If you committed the crime before the time period and were still on probation during the required residence period, that would prevent you being found of good moral character.   If you got lots of speeding or parking tickets — so many that it shows a disregard for the law, that might prevent you from being found of good moral character.  Sometimes some other moral issue comes up, and if it is so blatant that it really shocks the person interviewing you, he could conclude that that action or actions that you did could qualify as a failure to have a good moral character.

If any of these problematic actions apply to you, and it happened during the required residence period, then you cannot get citizenship at this time.   You would then need to wait until you have a full residence period of time free of these moral character issues, and then you can apply again.

I hope this is interesting and helpful. Remember that this is not legal advice. It is just a summary of certain aspects of immigration law which may or may not apply to your situation. I encourage you to consult an attorney if you think any of this may apply to your situation.

Gunnar Armstrong