Benefits of US Citizenship: What Changes After You Naturalize

A lawful permanent resident (green card holder) already has most of the day-to-day rights of life in the United States. So why do hundreds of thousands of people choose to naturalize each year? This guide compares the two statuses side by side, explains each benefit in plain English, and looks at what research says about the effects. It also covers the costs, because a fair comparison needs both sides.

Green card vs. US citizenship at a glance

1. Security of status

A permanent resident can lose their status. Certain crimes, immigration fraud, or a long period outside the country can lead to removal proceedings. A citizen, by contrast, cannot be deported. The one narrow exception is denaturalization, a court process that can take citizenship away if it was obtained illegally or through concealment or misrepresentation (8 U.S.C. § 1451). This is rare, and it is tied to what happened during the application, not to later behavior.

Citizens also stop worrying about practical paperwork. There is no green card to renew and no requirement to carry proof of immigration status.

2. A political voice

Only citizens can vote in federal elections, and in most states and cities, in local ones too. Our voting guide for new citizens explains the registration steps. Citizenship also opens the door to public office:

• US House of Representatives: at least seven years as a citizen.
• US Senate: at least nine years as a citizen.
• President and Vice President: only natural-born citizens may serve, so naturalized citizens are excluded.

These limits come from the Constitution (Article I, Sections 2 and 3, and Article II, Section 1).

3. A US passport and freedom to travel

A US passport lets you re-enter the country at will. Permanent residents who stay abroad for a year or more risk being treated as having abandoned their status. A passport also gives you access to consular help from US embassies when something goes wrong abroad, and to visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry in many countries. The exact list changes, so check the destination's rules before you travel.

4. Bringing family to the United States

Citizenship changes how fast you can sponsor relatives. The law calls spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents (when the citizen is 21 or older) immediate relatives. There is no yearly cap on immigrant visas for this group, so they do not wait in a queue for a visa number (8 U.S.C. § 1151(b)). Adult children and siblings can also be sponsored by citizens, but they fall under numerically limited categories, and waits can be long.

Your children. A child under 18 who is a permanent resident and lives with you in your legal and physical custody can become a citizen automatically when you naturalize (8 U.S.C. § 1431). You can then request proof of citizenship with Form N-600. Children born abroad to a US citizen parent may also be citizens from birth, but the rules depend on the parent's history in the United States.

5. Work, study and public benefits

Many federal jobs, especially in the competitive civil service and anything requiring a security clearance, require citizenship. Some state and local government jobs do too. A few scholarships and fellowships, such as the Fulbright US Student Program, are limited to citizens.

On public benefits, citizens are not subject to the "public charge" ground, which can affect green card holders in some situations. Several federal benefit programs also impose waiting periods or limits on non-citizens. These rules change often, so check current eligibility for any specific program rather than assuming.

What does research say?

Two studies are often cited in discussions of naturalization:

• Economic effects. A 2012 study by Manuel Pastor and Justin Scoggins at the University of Southern California found that earnings rise after naturalization by "around 8 to 11 percent" in their most conservative estimates, after controlling for education, experience, occupation and other factors. The gains do not appear overnight; they build up over time.
• Social integration. A 2017 paper in the American Political Science Review by Jens Hainmueller, Dominik Hangartner and Giuseppe Pietrantuono studied Swiss municipalities that decided naturalization requests by referendum. By comparing applicants who narrowly won or lost, the authors found that citizenship strongly improved long-term social integration, with larger effects for more marginalized groups and for people who naturalized earlier.

Limits of the evidence. The first study is observational and uses 2010 data. The second studied Switzerland, not the United States. Neither proves that citizenship will raise your income or sense of belonging. Treat them as evidence of a pattern, not a promise.

The costs and trade-offs

• The fee. The N-400 filing fee is not refundable, even if the application is denied. See the current fee and the proposed increase.
• Taxes. US citizens are taxed on worldwide income no matter where they live. Permanent residents who live in the US are taxed the same way, but a citizen remains subject to US tax even after moving abroad.
• Jury duty and other duties. Citizenship brings obligations. See civic duties and responsibilities.
• The oath. New citizens swear to renounce allegiance to other countries. US policy lets you keep a second nationality, but your birth country may not. Check its dual-citizenship rules before you apply.
• Scrutiny during the process. Applicants face a character review. Read the requirements first.

Is it worth it for you?

Ask yourself:

1. Do I plan to live in the US long-term?
2. Do I want to vote or sponsor close relatives?
3. Does my work or travel pattern put my green card at risk?
4. Does my country allow dual citizenship?
5. Do I meet the requirements today?

If you answered yes to several, start with the step-by-step process. If your situation is complicated (criminal history, long trips, tax issues), speak to an immigration attorney or an accredited representative before filing.

Sources and further reading

• USCIS, Learn About Citizenship
• Pastor, M. and Scoggins, J., Citizen Gain: The Economic Benefits of Naturalization for Immigrants and the Economy, USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, 2012
• Hainmueller, J., Hangartner, D. and Pietrantuono, G., Catalyst or Crown: Does Naturalization Promote the Long-Term Social Integration of Immigrants?, American Political Science Review, 2017
• 8 U.S.C. § 1151 (immediate relatives), 8 U.S.C. § 1431 (children of citizens), 8 U.S.C. § 1451 (revocation of naturalization)
• US Constitution, Article I, Section 2 and Section 3
• US Department of State, Dual nationality

This page is general information, not legal advice. We are not affiliated with USCIS or any government agency. Last reviewed October 21, 2026.