Receiving a denial for naturalization can be a disappointing experience. Sometimes cases are denied because an applicant misunderstand the question and says something incorrect. Having an attorney to assist you in this process can prevent such errors from occurring during a stressful interview. The interview process is done under Oath, which is very important to remember. So, if you do something that the officer believes is dishonest, i.e. fail to provide important information such as past travel information, criminal history, marital history of something that is substantial to your application, you may be determined to lack good moral character. As such, it is critical to provide all information on the application, or if something is omitted, provide it during the interview to prevent a denial based upon lack of moral character.
If your application for citizenship is denied for lack of good moral character you will probably need to wait another 5 years or 3 years if you LPR status is based upon marriage, before you are eligible to reapply. One of the strict requirements of naturalization is that the applicant must prove that he or she is a person of good moral character for the requisite time period prior to filing the application. So, if you are denied today, then you must wait 5 years to reapply again, even if you do not agree with the officer’s decision. If you apply before that time period ends, you may encounter the same result, plus lost money spent on application costs.
