Applying for U.S. citizenship ("naturalization") isn't always a simple matter. Before granting your request, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will look at your current situation and various things that happened in your past, to see whether you meet the eligibility requirements. Some of those things can delay or even prevent you from getting U.S. citizenship unless you can explain them to USCIS. In the worst-case scenario, you could wind up in deportation proceedings, fighting the loss of your green card.
If you have any of the issues discussed below, you should definitely hire an immigration lawyer to help you apply for U.S. citizenship. The time to hire the lawyer is before you apply. Don't wait until you've spent the money applying only to find out you're not eligible for citizenship.
Get a Lawyer If You Have a Criminal Record
If you were arrested or convicted for something minor more than five years ago (or more than years ago if you're applying as the spouse of a U.S. citizen), you might not need a lawyer when applying for citizenship. Just make sure you tell USCIS what happened, even if your record was sealed or expunged. And again, make sure it's a minor crime, like shoplifting as opposed to a violent assault.
If you were arrested or convicted more recently than that, however, or if at any time you were convicted of a crime that might not be considered minor, you need to speak with an immigration lawyer to find out if you can apply for citizenship now—or ever.
Some crimes for which a person was convicted after November 28, 1990 are considered "aggravated felonies," which will permanently bar you from citizenship. Figuring out what's an "aggravated felony" is best left to an expert; at the time, the crime won't necessarily have been labeled a felony at all.
If you were arrested, charged, or convicted of any type of crime recently, a lawyer might tell you to wait a while before applying for U.S. citizenship. Or, the lawyer might be able to convince USCIS that what happened doesn't affect your "good moral character."
Get a Lawyer If You Answer "Yes" to Any Question in Form N-400 Part 9
The question in Part 9 of the citizenship application Form N-400 (01/20/2025 version) are designed to find out whether you might be ineligible for U.S. citizenship. Take a close look at those questions before you answer or apply.
They cover everything from having been late on your taxes to having failed to pay child support to supporting Communism or anarchism to having committed a crime. In other words, they cover issues that many people have; it's not merely a bar to serious criminals or terrorists. Bear in mind that showing "good moral character" is at the heart of proving eligibility for U.S. citizenship.
A "yes" answer to any of these questions does not necessarily mean USCIS will deny your application, but depending on your explanation, it could. You are going to need an immigration lawyer's help to know whether you should apply now, apply later, or never apply at all. The lawyer can also help explain to USCIS what happened and why it might not matter.
Get a Lawyer If You (or Your Spouse) Are Working, or Have Worked, Overseas Recently, or Are in the U.S. Military
USCIS has special rules making it easier and quicker to apply for U.S. citizenship in certain situations. Most of these involve persons who are overseas because they or their spouse is working for the U.S. government, or they are in (or have been in) the U.S. armed forces. If you are planning on taking advantage of special rules to naturalize, or you're not sure if you can do so, you need to consult with an immigration lawyer to find out what rules and procedures are involved.
Get a Lawyer If Unsure How to Apply for U.S. Citizenship
You should definitely hire an immigration lawyer to help you with the naturalization process if you are having difficulty following instructions on how to do it yourself, or if you start it yourself and find that you have numerous questions about how to fill out the form or what documents you need to send or bring to your USCIS interview.
If you don't want to have your application delayed or denied because you made a mistake on the form or didn't give USCIS the right type of evidence it was looking for, just a hire a lawyer to do it for you. Many lawyers charge a flat fee for this type of service, so you will know in advance how much you will owe.
Get a Lawyer If You Applied for Citizenship Without Professional Help and Got Denied
If USCIS has already denied your citizenship application, it will have sent you a notice telling you what the problems were. If you don't want to give up trying for citizenship, you definitely need to see an immigration lawyer at this point.
The problems might be something the lawyer could have helped you with when you applied and can now fix, or maybe the lawyer would have predicted that you would get denied and told you not to apply at all. Let the lawyer tell you whether you can challenge the denial. If so, you might want to hire that lawyer to help you from this point forward.
Also see Is It Worth the Cost of Hiring a Lawyer to Help Me Apply for U.S. Citizenship?.