Can the government withdraw my citizenship?

Yes, the U.S. government is authorized to revoke/withdraw a person’s naturalization/citizenship through a process called denaturalization. The government can only denaturalize individuals who became citizens after filing USCIS Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. This means if you were born in the U.S., the government cannot denaturalize you.

Once denaturalization occurs, the foreign national will revert back to their immigration status before they became a citizen. There are several reasons why the government may want to denaturalize an individual, such as:

• If a foreign national entered into a fake marriage to obtain a Green Card and later becomes a naturalized citizen, the U.S. government can seek to denaturalize the foreign national since the marriage was not entered into in good faith.
• If a foreign national made material misrepresentations on his/her immigration documents and eventually becomes a naturalized citizen, the U.S. government can denaturalize the foreign national.
• If a foreign national applies for naturalization based on military service, but was later dishonorably discharged, the U.S. government can denaturalize the foreign national.
• If a foreign national commits a crime but does not inform the government during the naturalization process, the U.S. government can denaturalize the foreign national.

On February 26, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the creation of a section dedicated to investigating and litigating revocation of naturalization.

For more information on Can the government withdraw my citizenship, a consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (281) 777-1236 today. We have two convenient locations in north and south Houston, Texas.

Common Questions We Can Help You With

• Can the U.S. government take away my citizenship?
• What is denaturalization in U.S. immigration law?
• Under what circumstances can citizenship be revoked?
• Can naturalized citizens lose their citizenship?
• Can birthright U.S. citizens have their citizenship withdrawn?
• What crimes can lead to denaturalization?
• Does lying on immigration forms cause loss of citizenship?
• Can terrorism charges result in citizenship revocation?
• How often does the U.S. government pursue denaturalization cases?
• Can dual citizens lose U.S. citizenship?
• What is the difference between renouncing and losing citizenship?
• Can fraud in the immigration process cause citizenship withdrawal?
• What happens after a denaturalization case is filed?
• Can the government revoke citizenship without a court order?
• Does divorce affect citizenship status?
• Can children lose citizenship if a parent is denaturalized?
• What protections exist against wrongful denaturalization?
• Can I appeal a denaturalization decision?
• How does denaturalization affect deportation?
• What are famous cases of U.S. citizenship revocation?