The different levels of U.S. citizenship are, in descending order of rights, full citizens, non-citizen U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, and temporary visa holders. Only the top tier can vote in federal elections, hold a U.S. passport with full protection, and live in the country without any risk of deportation. Each step down the ladder strips away rights, narrows family sponsorship options, and adds conditions on how long a person can stay.
The Four Tiers at a Glance
Citizenship is the highest legal status in the United States. Citizens can vote in federal elections, apply for federal jobs, run for elected office, travel on a U.S. passport with full consular protection, and cannot be deported. They also get priority when sponsoring family: spouses, unmarried minor children, and parents of adult citizens qualify as “immediate relatives,” a category with no annual visa cap and much shorter wait times.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Should I Consider U.S. Citizenship?2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Family Preference Immigrants
Below citizenship sit three lesser statuses. A U.S. national owes allegiance to the United States but lacks voting rights. A lawful permanent resident can live and work here indefinitely but can still be removed. A visa holder is here temporarily for a specific purpose. The sections below walk down the ladder.
Citizens
Citizens are people the law recognizes as full members of the national community. There are three ways to reach this tier, and the legal path taken matters when a person needs to prove status, sponsor relatives, or (in rare cases) defend against denaturalization.
Citizens by Birth
The most straightforward path is being born on American soil. The Fourteenth Amendment declares that all persons “born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”3Congress.gov. Constitution of the United States – Fourteenth Amendment This principle, known as jus soli or “right of the soil,” means nearly everyone born within U.S. territory is automatically a citizen regardless of their parents’ nationality. The narrow exceptions involve children of foreign diplomats and children born in hostile military occupation, who are not considered “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States.4Constitution Annotated. Amdt14.S1.1.2 Citizenship Clause Doctrine
The United States also recognizes jus sanguinis (“right of blood”), which grants citizenship based on a parent’s nationality rather than birthplace. A child born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent can acquire citizenship at birth, provided the citizen parent previously lived in the United States for a required period. The specific residency requirement depends on the law in effect when the child was born and whether one or both parents were citizens.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I am the Child of a U.S. Citizen
Citizens by Derivation Through a Parent
Children born outside the United States can also become citizens automatically when a parent naturalizes, without filing their own application. Under INA 320, a child becomes a U.S. citizen when all of the following are true at the same time before the child’s 18th birthday: at least one parent is a U.S. citizen (by birth or naturalization), the child is a lawful permanent resident, and the child is residing in the United States in the legal and physical custody of that citizen parent.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Automatic Acquisition of Citizenship after Birth (INA 320) There is no required order for meeting these conditions. If a green-card-holding child is already living with a parent who then naturalizes, the child becomes a citizen the moment the parent takes the oath.
Parents sometimes overlook this route and prepare a separate naturalization application for a child who already qualifies. If you think your child fits the criteria, you can document the status by applying for a Certificate of Citizenship using Form N-600.
Citizens by Naturalization
Naturalization is the process through which a lawful permanent resident earns citizenship. The standard track requires at least five years of continuous permanent residency, or three years if you are married to and living with a U.S. citizen. You must be at least 18 years old and physically present in the United States for at least 30 months during the five-year period before applying (or 18 months during the three-year period).7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements for Naturalization
Applicants must demonstrate the ability to read, write, and speak basic English and pass a civics test covering U.S. history and government.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I am a Lawful Permanent Resident of 5 Years USCIS carves out important exceptions for older long-term residents and people with qualifying medical conditions. Applicants who are 50 or older with 20 years of permanent residency, or 55 or older with 15 years, are exempt from the English requirement and may take the civics test in their native language. Applicants who are 65 or older with 20 years of residency get a simplified civics test. A physical, developmental, or mental impairment can qualify an applicant for a testing exception through Form N-648, completed by a licensed physician or clinical psychologist.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exceptions and Accommodations These exemptions apply only to the testing requirements, not to residency or good moral character.
USCIS also requires applicants to show good moral character. Some offenses are permanent bars: a conviction for murder at any time, a conviction for an aggravated felony committed on or after November 29, 1990, and participation in genocide, torture, or extrajudicial killings all disqualify an applicant permanently.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Permanent Bars to Good Moral Character Lesser offenses do not automatically disqualify you, but USCIS weighs the totality of your conduct.
The process ends with the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony. Your citizenship becomes effective the moment you complete the oath, and USCIS issues a Certificate of Naturalization as primary proof of your new status.
Members of the armed forces reach the same tier through two faster provisions. In peacetime, one year of honorable service allows a permanent resident to apply, and filing while serving or within six months of an honorable discharge eliminates the continuous residence and physical presence requirements entirely.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 2 – One Year of Military Service during Peacetime (INA 328) During designated periods of hostility, there is no minimum age, no minimum length of service, no continuous residence or physical presence requirement, and no requirement that the applicant even be a permanent resident, provided they were physically present in the United States or a qualifying territory at the time of enlistment. Good moral character is evaluated over one year rather than five.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Military Service during Hostilities (INA 329)
However a person reaches citizenship, U.S. law does not require them to give up a foreign nationality, and it does not automatically revoke U.S. citizenship if they later naturalize elsewhere. Dual citizenship is fully compatible with the top tier, though it carries its own tax and reporting obligations that continue no matter where the citizen lives.13Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Citizens and Resident Aliens Abroad
U.S. Nationals
A U.S. national owes allegiance to the United States and is entitled to its protection but does not hold full citizenship rights. In practice, this status applies almost exclusively to people born in American Samoa and Swains Island. Nationals can live and work anywhere in the United States without immigration restrictions, but they cannot vote in federal elections or hold public office.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual – Becoming a U.S. Citizen A national who wants full citizenship can apply for naturalization through a process similar to the standard path.
Lawful Permanent Residents
Lawful permanent residents, commonly called green card holders, can live and work in the United States indefinitely, access many social services, and travel internationally with some restrictions. They cannot vote in any election, are ineligible for most federal government positions, and remain subject to deportation if they commit certain crimes or abandon their residency.15U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Rights and Responsibilities of a Green Card Holder (Permanent Resident)
Family sponsorship is one of the sharpest dividing lines between this tier and full citizenship. Permanent residents can petition for spouses and unmarried children, but not for parents, married children, or siblings. Their petitions also fall into capped preference categories with long waits, whereas a citizen sponsoring a spouse, minor child, or parent uses the uncapped immediate-relative category.
Visa Holders
Visa holders are authorized to be in the country temporarily and for a specific purpose, whether tourism, study, or employment. Their rights are the most restricted of any lawful status. They generally cannot access public benefits, have limited or no work authorization depending on the visa type, and must leave when the authorized stay expires. Overstaying a visa can result in removal proceedings and bars on future entry.
Can You Lose Your Place on the Ladder
Citizenship is durable but not irrevocable. Federal law identifies specific acts that can result in loss of U.S. nationality if performed voluntarily and with the intent to give up citizenship: formally renouncing citizenship before a U.S. diplomatic officer abroad, naturalizing in a foreign country with the intent to relinquish U.S. nationality, serving as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer in a foreign military, and committing treason.16GovInfo. 8 U.S.C. 1481 – Loss of Nationality by Native-Born or Naturalized Citizen The intent requirement is critical. Simply naturalizing in another country or taking a foreign oath of office does not strip U.S. citizenship unless the person specifically intended to give it up.
Formal renunciation requires appearing in person before a consular officer at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. As of 2026, the administrative processing fee for a Certificate of Loss of Nationality is $450.17Federal Register. Schedule of Fees for Consular Services – Fee for Administrative Processing of Request for Certificate of Loss of Nationality Renunciation can also trigger a mark-to-market exit tax for “covered expatriates,” which the IRS defines by net worth, average annual income tax, or an inability to certify full tax compliance.18Internal Revenue Service. Expatriation Tax
Naturalized citizens face one additional exposure that birth citizens do not: denaturalization. If USCIS can show that an applicant willfully misrepresented or concealed a material fact on the naturalization application, and that the misrepresentation influenced the decision to grant citizenship, the naturalization can be revoked. This covers both lies on the written application and false statements during the naturalization interview, and there is no statute of limitations on denaturalization for fraud.19U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Grounds for Revocation of Naturalization
For the tiers below citizenship, loss of status is far easier. A permanent resident can lose the green card by abandoning U.S. residency or by conviction of certain crimes, and a visa holder loses lawful status the moment the authorized stay expires or the visa’s conditions are violated.