In order to receive immigration benefits, you will have to contact the USCIS and file the right USCIS forms. Likewise, if you seek to become a US citizen, you will have to contact the USCIS and file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. However, you will have to avoid common mistakes and oversights, as such common mistakes might result in the denial of your petition. You also need to remember that Form N400 is a complex application and that the USCIS will approve your US citizenship application only after reviewing your entire immigration history.
Current Edition of Form N-400
Filing Form N400 is the first step and it is mandatory to make sure that the version of the form that you are about to file is not an outdated version. See to that you use forms dated 03/22/12, 06/17/11, 01/18/11, 11/23/10, 04/05/10, 01/15/10 or 01/22/09. However, it is wise to file the form dated 03/22/12. You can easily download Form N400 and complete it or complete the US citizenship application online, but you need to go through the form and the form instructions, before completing and filing the form.
Do not skip important questions
USCIS will deny your petition if you happen to omit or skip a question. Similarly, you need to answer all the questions completely and if you feel that a question is not relevant to you, you may write N/A, beside that question. At the same time, you will have to check your application before filing and make sure that you have affixed your signature and that the petition is filled out correctly.
Send the right filing fee
USCIS updates the forms and changes the form filing fee quite often and so it is mandatory to make sure that you are filing the form along with the right filing fee. Moreover, as you are filing the paper version of Form N400, you will have to send a money order or a check for the filing fee and you cannot pay the filing fee online. Similarly, you must not send cash. Remember that, USCIS also rejects applications that do not accompany the right filing fee. However, in this case, you can resend your naturalization application, if the USCIS rejects your petition for this reason.
Military applicants need not pay the form filing fee and applicants above age 75 need not pay the biometrics fee but all the other applicants will have to pay $680, while filing Form N400.
Mail the petition to the right address
USCIS immigration and naturalization applications must be filed at USCIS Lockbox facilities and the filing address depends on the place where you live. For information on filing address, you can check the USCIS website or the form instructions page. Before filing, make sure that the application package contains Form N-400, supporting documents, photographs and the exact filing fee.